Finding Daniel
by cag45
Summary: Daniel begins high school without benefit of having his best friend around- his brother Crane. Rather than seek the advice of his older brothers' he tries to navigate the pitfalls of high school on his own. This one has plenty of angst and isn't completed yet, even in my own head, so bear with me. I look forward to your reviews. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Daniel McFadden stepped off the school bus glad to have his first day of high school behind him, yet feeling oddly satisfied with himself. He knew though, his day was far from over. There were chores to tend to and his algebra teacher had decided to start the year off by giving out homework. Daniel hated math almost as much as he hated afternoon chores. He also had a bit of a bomb to drop on Adam and Brian and had no idea how they were going to react.

Since Crane had left for college a couple of weeks back, he had found himself doing some soul searching. He usually talked everything over with his closest brother at night in their room. Now, they only had a few minutes every few days on a long distance phone call. Daniel was a bit too complicated to sort out his feelings with Crane while being timed. Long distance calls from UC Davis were short and sweet. It was necessary due to the added expense to the phone bill. The Circle Bar Seven ranch wasn't exactly operating in the black, so three phone calls a week lasting exactly seven minutes a call, with six brothers trying to speak to Crane on each call, afforded Daniel about three minutes a week to talk with his closest brother. It was mostly _Hi how are you; I'm fine. Okay I'll stay out of trouble if you promise to take care of yourself. I love you, good bye._ Not exactly in depth conversations.

So, Daniel had conceded that it was time to man up; time to find his own way in life. Today was the first day in that new life. He was finally a high school student. He was the only person at his school with the last name of McFadden. He no longer rode on the same bus with Evan and Ford. For the first time, the middle brother of the family had no brothers, younger or older, tagging along or lurking down the next hallway at his school. The thought had made him sick to his stomach at first. He and his brothers were so very close; inseparable would be a better word to describe them, but now that the first day was over with, Daniel felt oddly independent.

He had made some pretty big decisions today and he knew it was going to catch big brothers Adam and Brian off guard. He could only hope they would be supportive. He wasn't too worried about Brian, but Adam... that was another story. Then there was Crane. He was supposed to call tonight. He wasn't sure how he would take the news either. Overprotective was an understatement when describing how Crane was towards Daniel. He worried more about that kid than Adam and Brian put together. He wasn't going to be too thrilled with Daniel's new life choices, the boy was certain of that.

"Hey Bri." Daniel said, walking into the barn where Brian was working on their broken down tractor.

"Hey Dan'l. How was the first day?" Brian asked, looking over his shoulder, studying the kid carefully. _No bruises or signs of a bloody nose. Clothes relatively clean and not torn. _Brian thought to himself as he quickly took stock of Daniel. With five younger brothers, he had seen it all. He knew first days could be rough; especially when it's the first day in a new school and especially when your last name is McFadden. Trouble always managed to find he and his brothers. Too, he knew that it didn't take much these days to set off a high strung Daniel.

"It was pretty good, I guess. The girls aren't looking that great. Their zits got worse over the summer." Daniel said with a silly giggle. Of all his brothers, he knew Brian appreciated chatting about the fairer sex.

"Don't worry. Those zits will clear up soon enough. Give 'em another six months and those ugly ducklings will turn into swans." Brian said with a knowing laugh.

"Promise?" Daniel asked with a grin.

"I promise. So, did they put auto mechanics on your schedule?" Brian asked hopefully. He had been working with the kid and noted that he showed a lot of promise in regards to mechanics... that is when Brian could coax him to put down that guitar long enough to turn a wrench or two.

Brian had told Adam he thought Daniel was a natural born mechanic and should be encouraged to pursue it. Brian was over handling the lionshare of the work when it came to repairing broken down farm equipment or vehicles. He had taken Daniel under his wing in the last couple of years and showed the kid everything he knew. He marvelled at how quickly Daniel picked everything up. He took to mechanics like a duck to water, which was a relief to Brian. It gave him a spark of hope that he would one day be allowed to spend more time ranching and less time fixing things.

"Well, they didn't at first. It's hard for a Freshman to get into a Vo-Tech class. They're mostly filled up with Juniors and Seniors." Daniel began to explain.

"I don't quite follow you kid. Do you mean you _did _or _didn't_ get auto shop?" Brian asked, dropping the wrench he was holding and scratching his head.

"I did, but I had to change a few things around." Daniel answered, looking a little guilty.

"Change things? Like, what things?" Brian continued his line of questioning, feeling exasperated. He hated it when his brothers didn't answer direct questions with direct answers and he knew that Daniel was having fun with him. He was being coy with his older brother.

"Oh, no big deal. I just wanna wait and tell you and Adam at the same time, so I don't have to repeat myself. You needin' some help with the tractor?" Daniel asked cheerfully as he dropped his book bag and picked up the wrench Brian had thrown down.

"Yeah, take off the carbuerator for me, would ya? I need to flush it out." Brian answered. He was done with playing twenty questions. The kid got auto shop and that was good enough. He'd find out the rest with Adam. There wasn't any time to fret over it. Too much work needed to be done. Crane's absence was being felt by everyone, not just Daniel. With Adam spending so much time on the books and now the younger ones being back in school, Brian was overloaded and feeling spread way too thin. He didn't have any free time and it was starting to get the better of him.

"I can flush out the carbuerator and put it back on for you Bri, if you'll get Evan to muck out the stables for me." Daniel asked hopefully.

Brian knew Daniel wasn't fond of ranch work. He didn't understand why, but he knew he didn't. But the kid had always worked hard and didn't complain much. Ranching was just a way of life. They'd all been brought up that way and really didn't know anything else. But Brian figured Daniel would likely be the first one to permanently leave the ranch. He hated the thought of it because the kid was good at just about everything. He would certainly be missed.

Evan and Ford seemed to like ranch life too. But Daniel, Brian noticed, always seemed to have a far off look in his eye. Almost like he was staring at a horizon that no one else around him could see. Brian had pointed it out to Adam a time or two, but Adam acted as though he couldn't see it; Brian knew differently though. He wasn't blind. Adam was just afraid of the thought. He had raised these boys and they had always stuck together. The thought of one of them leaving the nest for good killed him.

"Oh, negotiating your chores with me now, huh?" Brian said with a scoff and a shake of his head. This was one smart kid.

"Well... I mean, you look like you're tired of fooling with it is all... and I don't mind working on the tractor, but I don't have time to fix it _and _get my chores done. I have homework to do too and I don't have Crane here to help me with it.

"Oh let me guess... Algebra." Brian said with a laugh. "You must have old man Kramer."

"Yep and I already can't stand him. There's no way I'll pass Algebra without Crane."

Crane was always being called on by the younger ones to help with Mathematics. Though Daniel wasn't a great student, he could hold his own in history and science. English was a challenge for him at times... the grammar side of it, anyway, but Adam was always a big help with that. Literature seemed to come easy enough for Daniel. Brian supposed that was where the songwriting skills came in to play. When it came to writing essays or poetry, Daniel was pretty self sufficient. But then there was math. Daniel would likely have never made it to high school if Crane had not been around. Brian knew this was going to be a challenging year for the kid.

"You can pass any course if you set your mind to it Dan'l. Don't sell yourself short." Brian replied.

"Oh yeah? Who's gonna help me. You?" Daniel asked sarcastically.

"Hey, watch that smart mouth. I got my diploma, didn't I? I did it while rearing a bunch of snot nosed little brats too, as I remember." Brian said, swatting Daniel on his backside as he walked past him.

"Well, Kramer's already said to me that he hopes I am a good student like Crane and not like my brother Brian." Daniel explained, then continued, "Hey, where are you going?" Daniel asked.

"To find Evan and tell him he needs to muck out these darned stables. That was our deal, wasn't it?" Brian asked without even bothering to turn around as he continued to walk towards the house. He wasn't about to let Daniel see that the comment made by Mr. Kramer had gotten his goat. He hated that old bastard.

Daniel grinned as he watched his brother go. _Brian is the coolest!_ He thought to himself. With Crane out of the picture, Daniel had found himself bonding with Brian more than ever. Brian understood him a whole lot better than Adam. Maybe he could survive life without Crane for a while after all, Daniel thought to himself.

* * *

Dinnertime was as lively as ever in the McFadden household. Everybody was talking at once. Evan was excited about his first day of his last year in junior high. He was also happy that Daniel wasn't on campus with him anymore, calling him little brother in front of his friends. Evan had a complex about that. With he and Daniel only being a year apart, he didn't much feel like Daniel had the right to view him as a 'little brother'. He spent a fair amount of time griping about it too.

Ford was not happy with the teacher he got and had already begun complaining. Guthrie, on the other hand was happy with his. Finally, he had a young pretty teacher. Up to this point in his young life, he had only been subjected to more matronly teachers. He had Miss Reynolds who was only twenty five and very attractive.

"Adam, wait til you meet her. I think you should marry her." Guthrie had declared.

The others had all laughed. Guthrie was always scouting for Adam a wife. Adam figured Guthrie was noticing that all his friends had mom's and dad's and he likely longed for that himself. He was, after all, the only brother to not remember their parents at all. He wouldn't feel as the others might, that a wife for Adam would be like replacing their mother.

"Just slow down a little Guthrie. I don't have time to court your teacher." Adam said.

"Well, I'd feel better about you courting Guthrie's teacher instead of mine." Ford said laughing.

"Don't worry, Ford. Mr. Rutherford isn't my type, anyways." Adam said dryly.

"What. Too short? Or maybe you don't like guys who are prematurely bald." Brian said, elbowing Evan in the ribs. The whole table erupted into laughter.

"Danny, you haven't said too much about your day. How's high school?" Adam asked, trying to ignore all the laughter at his expense.

"Fine. It's better than junior high." Daniel said with a shrug.

"Oh, that's right. Dan'l has some big news for us, Adam. Can we hear about it now?" Brian asked curiously.

"I'm afraid to ask, but what's the big news?" Adam asked, dropping his fork and staring at Daniel.

"No big deal. I just dropped band so I could take auto shop." Daniel said matter of factly. "Would you pass the peas Ford?" He asked as if there was nothing big about his announcement.

"You did what?" Adam asked in astonishment.

"Yes!" Evan stated excitedly.

"What's it to you?" Brian asked, turning to stare at Evan.

"Oh come on. I'll be in high school with him next year. Do you know how embarrassing it would be to explain to the other guys on the football team that my brother is a band geek!" Evan exclaimed.

"You, shut up. That has nothing to do with why I quit." Daniel yelled.

"Hush up Evan. I want to hear this." Adam said, throwing down his napkin.

"What?" Daniel asked innocently. He was staring at his eldest brother, trying not to show any fear. "There was one opening in auto shop and I took it. I can't fit both into my schedule." He went on to explain.

"Well, I for one think it's great. Good job Dan'l. I think you made a good decision." Brian offered.

"Yeah. It made more sense to me. But, even though I got in auto shop, I still have to take either art or a P.E. class. So, they put me in P.E. and that's when I decided to go out for the football team." Daniel explained nonchalantly.

"You did what?" Adam asked, clearly in shock.

"Oh, right. You're gonna get killed dork!" Evan said laughing as he knawed on a pork chop.

"Shut up idiot. I'm just as tough as you! If you can play football, so can I." Daniel yelled.

"Alright, alright. You two pipe down. Evan, I'm trying to hear Daniel out, so please keep your comments to yourself.

"Look, Danny. That's a big change that's gonna affect all of us." Adam began.

"Why?" Daniel asked defensively.

"Don't get all hysterical on me, just listen, Danny. I had it all worked out with Drew's dad. He was gonna bring you home after band practice in the evenings. I don't have time to pick you up from after school football practice." Adam explained.

"I got that handled, Adam. I'm gonna catch a ride with Mike Seymour in the evenings." Daniel explained.

"Who?" Adam asked.

"He's a junior and has his own car. He's gonna be starting QB on senior varsity this year. He said he can drop me off at the crossroads in the evenings." Daniel said matter of factly.

"The crossroads? Oh, so you're gonna hike a mile plus down the county road every evening, just before dusk _after_ ball practice? You'll be worn out Danny... not to mention it's not safe."

"Adam I'm not a kid. I can take care of myself." Daniel objected.

"I know that, but Daniel... you don't get it. You've never played football. I'm sure you'd be good at it, but that's too much to ask of yourself when you got chores and homework to do in the evenings. You'll wear yourself out. I'm sorry, but no. If you want out of band, fine. But you're taking regular P.E. and that's it. No football."

"But Adam..." Daniel began but Adam cut off his words.

"No buts Danny. The matter's closed." Adam stated emphatically.

"I _hate_ you! You can't tell me what to do. You're not my father!" Daniel yelled, jumping up from the table so fast his chair turned over. Without even bothering to right it, Daniel ran out of the room and stormed up the stairs.

And there it was again.

How many times had Adam heard those words out of a ticked off younger sibling? He reckoned Crane and Guthrie were the only ones to have never uttered those words to him in anger... but there was still plenty of time for him to hear it from them in the future.

"He'd have gotten killed out there anyway. He's not big enough to play." Evan said.

"You play and you're no bigger than he is." Brian replied, shaking his fork at Evan.

"Yeah, but I've been playing since pee wee. He doesn't know what he's doing. They'll chew him up and spit him out." Evan continued.

"You just pipe down and eat your supper. I don't want to hear anymore comments from you on the subject." Adam admonished Evan sternly.

"Adam, I think you and me need to talk about this later." Brian said, clearing his throat. Adam was out of line. He had shut Daniel down without hearing him out. Brian knew Adam had a lot on his plate and it often caused him to react before he thought things through. He never handled change too well.

"Look, all I want is to eat in peace and get everybody's paperwork signed and get them started on their homework. Crane will be calling tonight and I want to be able to talk with him without a lot of distractions." Adam said dryly.

"Well, maybe you should have him call you on a phone booth in town, then. Cause distractions, big brother, is all we got around here." Brian said, sounding more than a little disgusted.

Daniel had slammed the door to his room, picked up the picture of his mother and thrown himself down on the bed. He stared at his beautiful mother, his heart, breaking. She would understand his decision. She would appreciate that he had taken his life in his own hands. After all, she had always told him that he could do anything he wanted in life. She had many times told him that all her and Daddy ever wanted for their boys is for them to grow up strong and happy and be whatever they wanted to be. That and learn to be responsible for one's own actions. His parents had been very big on that.

He had expected a _bad_ reaction from Adam, but not a flat out no. He had been more concerned with what Crane was going to think. He expected Crane to be the one to give him grief over it. He would get the lecture about how music scholarships are more plentiful than athletic ones. He would point out that one injury could end any hopes of an athletic scholarship.

Daniel was ready for that lecture though. Unlike Crane, he already just knew college wasn't in his future. While he didn't share his big brothers' passion for being a rancher, he knew he wasn't going to be interested in college either. Football just sounded like fun. It was something he had wanted to try for a while, but couldn't fit it in before now. Besides, leasing a band instrument had been just another financial burden for the family. Now, they could let the trumpet go back and it'd be one less bill to pay. It made logical sense to Daniel. He was more interested in playing guitar anyway. He had learned a lot about reading music by taking band, but it had now served it's purpose. He wasn't going to be a jazz musician and he had learned all he needed to know about reading music to further him in his real dream. Oh, he wanted to be a musician alright. He wanted to write music and play guitar and hopefully make a living at it someday. The auto mechanics made sense, too. He may only be fourteen, but he knew that music was a hard business to make a living at, so having the skills to be a mechanic would be a good career to fall back on if music didn't work out.

Daniel was ready for Crane with all of these great points, but he hadn't expected to have to use them on Adam. He expected Adam to have a problem with after school practices, but he figured to gain his big brothers respect when he told him he had rides worked out, especially since he would be able to get his drivers license next year at fifteen and then he would be able to drive himself _and_ Evan home from practice. Adam had to know that Evan would continue playing and with he Daniel on the same team, it would logically help the family out next year. His mind was made up. He was going to play football, no matter what Adam said.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard a knock at the door. Was it Adam already? He had hoped big brother would take more time to cool off before continuing the conversation.

"Come in." He said hesitantly. He was instantly relieved to see Brian walk into his room.

"Hey there, partner. You cooled down yet?" Brian asked, lowering himself to sit on Crane's bed.

"Not really. Brian, what is his deal? He wouldn't even listen to me." Daniel whined.

"I know, I know. Just settle down partner. I'm gonna talk to him." Brian said calmly.

"So you think it's a good idea?" Daniel asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I do. That's why I'm here. I wanted to let you know that you have an ally in this. Just give me some time to work on him. Don't change your schedule back yet." Brian continued.

"Thanks Bri." Daniel said, exhaling in relief.

"But... You made quite a little scene down there. If you want us to treat you like a young man, you need to stop acting like a child, Dan'l. I want you to work on that Algebra so you'll be able to at least say hello to Crane when he calls later." Brian said.

"Yes sir." Daniel said respectfully.

"That's more like it. Next time you act like that at the dinner table, I'm gonna tan your little hyde myself." Brian said, getting up and thumping Daniel on top of the head. You're gonna have to apologize to big brother later, too you know? That was a pretty hurtful thing you said to him."

"I know. I'm sorry." Daniel said, dropping his head as if in shame.

"Good. Well, the other guys are lining up for baths, so I guess you can get yours after we talk to Crane. Get on that homework now and I mean it. No goofing around with that guitar until homework's done." Brian said turning to leave.

"Oh yeah, I didn't even get to tell you the rest of my news!" Daniel blurted out excitedly.

Brian stopped dead in his tracks. _Oh great, there's more? _He thought to himself. _How much more is this kid gonna put me through tonight?_ "What other news, Dan'l. You gonna tell me you joined the army too?" Brian said, turning to look at Daniel again, crossing his arms as he held his breath.

"Nah. I figured I'd wait a couple years to do that." Daniel said giggling.

"Daniel, what else? I've got three more little brothers to deal with on top of talking to Adam for you, so spit it out, please!" Brian said in disgust.

"Well, I met this guy Jeff in English class. He's really cool. He's a sophomore." Daniel began, before Brian cut him off.

"Dan'l, cut to the meat of it, please."

"Okay, okay." Daniel replied, before continuing, "He plays bass guitar and I told him that I play and write and sing. So he was saying he thinks we should get together on weekends and practice, maybe in his garage or something. He's got an older brother that plays drums and has amplifiers and stuff and he has a friend that plays the fiddle and we were thinking maybe we could start a band. They like country western music too and I'd love to front a band. That'd be cool, huh? Maybe I could even write us some original music-"

"Now hold on partner. That's a lot to put on your plate at fourteen. Let's take one step at a time. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but lets not get ahead of ourselves, huh? Your schooling comes first and we still gotta get Adam on board with this football stuff, okay?" Brian exclaimed.

"Okay." Daniel agreed. But Brian couldn't help but notice that far off look in Daniel's eyes again. Yep, that same look he'd seen before. This kid had ambition. He wasn't gonna be a rancher all of his life, Brian was fairly certain. He cringed at the thought of bringing Adam around to _that_ realization.

"Like I said, homework... now." Brian reiterated as he again turned to leave. "That is, if you don't have anything else to share... I mean, I hope that's everything for today. You didn't happen to find the woman of your dreams in History class and make plans to elope tomorrow, or anything?" Brian said over his shoulder as he reached for the door knob.

"Nope, that's it for today." Daniel said, as he reached for his book bag and pulled out the dreaded Algebra book. "I figure I've got the rest of the week to find my wife." He added with a laugh.

"Good." Brian said opening the door with a shake of his head.

* * *

Adam sat on the front porch sipping on a beer. He was tired and anxious to hear Crane's voice. He missed the boy terribly. He hadn't realized how much he had leaned on the youngster in recent years. Crane usually saw things the same way Adam did.

This situation with Danny was no different. Adam felt strongly that music served him a better purpose than sports. True enough, Daniel had been great at playing soccer and really seemed to enjoy it, but when he reached junior high school, he had opted to go the route of band rather than sports. Adam had been surprised at the time, but Daniel had excelled in it and Adam began quickly to see the benefits of it.

Like college, for instance. Crane had researched non academic scholarships and had pointed out to Adam that music scholarships tended to pay more than athletic ones. College was a big concern. Even though Adam and Brian had not had the chance to go, it had been in their parents' plans originally. After their deaths, Adam and Brian had decided that they would do their best to give each little brother a shot at college. Crane had done well academically, whereas Daniel was struggling. Adam had hoped that music would not only keep the boy interested in school, but also help him earn a college scholarhsip down the road.

Lost in his thoughts, Adam barely heard the screen door close as Brian walked out onto the porch.

"Mind if I join ya?" Brian asked as he sat down on the steps next to Adam. "Brought you another beer." He said as he offered the can over to his eldest brother.

"Thanks. Don't mind if I do." Adam replied as he watched Brian pop the top off of his own can.

Brian took a swig then said, "You're wound up a little too tight over this football thing, don't ya think?" Brian asked, hoping Adam had cooled off a little.

"Brian, he just caught me off guard. He's been walking around here like a mummy for two weeks and now all of a sudden he comes bounding in with all this new stuff. The kid should come with some kind of warning label." Adam complained.

Brian chuckled and agreed. "I think they should _all_ come with a warning label."

"Yeah, well they don't. Did you see any of this coming?" Adam asked.

"Not really. I've been encouraging him to take auto shop, but I haven't said anything about football. I kinda like the idea though." Brian admitted.

"Why is that?" Adam asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Well, the kid's been so volatile and... the way he and Evan go at it, it's kinda scared me a few times. I figure it'd do the boy good to get some of that aggression out on the field. Maybe he'll be too worn out to go ten rounds with any of us in the evenings." Brian explained.

"You may be right. I don't know Bri. It's just that with Crane gone, I don't want Danny to lose direction. I'm afraid he's turning his back on music because Crane isn't here to share it with him." Adam admitted somberly.

"Well... if that's your biggest worry, then fear no more. Dan'l ain't giving up his music, I promise you that." Brian replied with confidence.

"Is there something else you need to share with the class?" Adam asked inquisitively.

"Nope. Not right now. Just trust me on the music thing, huh? You'll see for yourself soon enough. Look, I think we'd better get back into the assylum there. The inmates may take over if we leave 'em unattended for too long." Brian said with a laugh.

"Yeah, it's about time for Crane to call anyways." Adam relented, getting up from the step and following Brian inside. _Thank God I have Brian, _Adam thought to himself as he walked inside.


	2. Chapter 2

Finding Daniel chapter two

The phone call from Crane had been short and sweet as usual. Everyone got their turn at exchanging pleasantries with him, but most of the conversation had been between he and Adam. It sounded as though things were going well for him, much to Adam's relief. Adam had decided not to share Daniel's news with Crane just yet. There wouldn't be time to go over it anyway and he didn't want Crane to get distracted worrying about his little brother.

The rest of the evening had been relatively quiet. The younger ones had gone off to bed. Adam was settling in for the evening sitting quietly with his thoughts at the dining room table while Brian finished cleaning up the dishes.

Daniel had crept in quietly and sat down next to Adam. "I thought you were in bed." Adam said, looking over at Daniel.

"Nah, I just finished my algebra. It's gonna kick my butt this year, I can tell that already." Daniel replied.

"Do you need some help? I can look over it for you." Adam offered.

"It's okay. I got it done." Daniel replied sullenly. Adam didn't have a lot of patience when it came to homework. He was always willing to help, but Daniel struggled with math and Crane was so good at taking things slow and breaking it down in a way that Daniel could understand. Adam, on the other hand, expected to explain things one time and you should just get it. When it came to ranching, music and fixing things, Daniel only needed to be told once. Adam complimented him on that all the time. Daniel always swelled with pride when Adam praised him about being good at everything he tried. Daniel needed that kind of recognition from Adam so, so much. But with math, the few times in the past when he'd gone to Adam for help, Adam had quickly grown frustrated with Daniel and it made him feel stupid. Daniel had come to realize with the help of Crane that he so idolized Adam that he couldn't stand to let him down. Daniel wanted so badly to please his eldest brother that he couldn't deal with it when he felt he had disappointed him. It was complicated for Daniel. He had three older brothers but Adam was more like a father. It was really confusing to be raised by a man whom you called your brother but looked up to as your father. None of his friends could relate to him. Crane got it. He understood it very well. Daniel figured his younger brothers struggled with it too, though he had never discussed it with them.

"Hey Adam?" Daniel continued.

"Yeah sport?" Adam replied.

"I'm sorry about how I acted at supper tonight and- I didn't... uh, I didn't mean what I said. You know... the dad stuff. I'm really, really sorry." Daniel stammered, looking the picture of misery.

Brian went on with his business, but he had heard the apology. _Atta boy, Dan'l, _he thought to himself. God, he loved this kid.

"I know that Danny. I just wish you weren't so much like me. We both have quick tempers. I don't always set you the best example and I realize that, but you have to show me respect. I'm doing my best and I only want what's best for you... for all of ya." Adam said softly.

"I know Adam. You're a good big brother and you _are_ like a dad to us." Daniel replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"So... football, huh?" Adam asked as he reached over to push the bangs out of the kid's eyes. _How is it that he already needs another haircut?_

"Yep, football." Daniel replied as he pulled away from Adam's hand. He was too old for that kind of coddling.

"Well I guess we'll give it a try. As long as you keep your grades up, you can play. Deal?" Adam asked.

"Deal." Daniel agreed. "We have practice tomorrow. I'll get a ride from Mike and get home as fast as I can." Daniel continued.

"Now wait a minute. I'm not real sure about that. I don't know this kid and I'm not gonna have you walking that far home on the county road. It's not safe." Adam scolded.

"I'll be fine, Adam." Daniel answered, trying hard to keep from whining.

"I will pick you up tomorrow at the field house. Maybe I can meet some of the other parents and work something out for the rest of the season. If not, we'll just have to fit it into our day." Adam said matter of factly.

"Okay. I'll wait outside the fieldhouse for you." Daniel agreed. "Guess I'd better get to bed now. Goodnight Adam... Brian."

"Goodnight kiddo." Adam said and Brian reiterated the sentiment. He also gave Daniel a thumbs up when the kid looked over at him. Daniel returned the gesture.

"Well, what do you know? I think maybe somebody's growing up." Adam said to Brian after Daniel left the room.

"We can hope, I guess." Brian replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

* * *

School did not start out well for Daniel on day two. He had Algebra first period and was disheartened to find out that he had only managed to get half of the answers right on his homework. He was thankful that this wasn't going to count as a grade and he had tried to ask questions, but old man Kramer was largely ignoring him. He could tell the guy had already sized him up and formed a negative opinion.

Damn, it was hard following three older brothers. Living in a small town, it was inevitable that he would get teachers that remembered teaching his brothers. Most of them that he had encountered had not had any problems out of Adam or didn't even remember him. They all found Crane to be a 'joy to teach'. But Brian sure had left an impression... and not a good one. Apparently, Daniel reminded Kramer more of Brian than his other brothers. _Strike one, _Daniel thought to himself.

The rest of the day had gone on pretty uneventful. Daniel had again talked with Jeff in English class about practicing music together. He had explained that he was so busy with the ranch and school, they may have to take it slow. Jeff had been understanding. Daniel had then noticed a couple of girls looking at him. He realized he didn't know them; they had to be older... Sophomore's maybe.

"What's their story?" Daniel whispered to Jeff, pointing at the girls who were batting their eyes at him and giggling.

"Oh, that's Mary Mason, she's new and that's her cousin Joanna. She's a sophomore like me. We both flunked Freshman english and are taking it over. Mary's your age. Cute, huh?" Jeff said with a wry smile.

"She's okay, I guess." Daniel admitted shyly. She was really cute. He didn't know what he'd done to attract her attention, but he didn't mind really. He was trying to figure out with quick glances, which girl was being more flirtatious. It almost seemed like the older girl was the more interested, but he decided to play it cool. He had plenty of time to find out what their deal was.

Football practice was intense. The coaches had explained that there were two positions available on the Varsity team and they only had the option of filling those spots with Freshmen, so the coach had them all practicing together. Daniel was excited at the prospect of going out for the Varsity squad. That would impress the hell out of Adam and Brian, he figured.

The kid was constantly sizing himself up against his two eldest brothers. Crane had laughed many times at both Daniel and Evan, pointing out how they viewed Brian and Adam to be larger than life figures; _You guys act like they're John Wayne reincarnated _Crane had said laughingly. It was true. He and Evan did look up to their older brothers as more than brothers. Impressing them was a big deal to them both.

Daniel had decided he may as well try out for both Varsity positions. They needed a tight end on offense and also a defensive end. Daniel figured he was quick enough and had good hands that the tight end was within his grasp, even though he was awfully short. Defensive end required quickness too, but you needed some size to be effective in that position and Daniel feared he wasn't going to be able to impress the coaches too much. He was a freshman and one of the smallest guys on the team. Still, he knew he was tough and he wasn't afraid to at least try out.

* * *

Adam had announced that he was heading to the school to pick up Daniel and try to speak with some of the other parents, when Brian had stepped up and said he wanted to go along, also.

"Evan and Ford are handling the chores and they can watch Guth. I have to pick up a part for the tractor in town anyways, so I thought I'd ride in with ya. I want to check out the team. We won't be gone long." Brian had pled his case.

"Alright." Adam had replied. He supposed he could just let Brian pick up Daniel, but he was legal guardian and felt it was his place to interview potential parents to give the kid a lift home in the evenings.

"So when are we gonna tell Crane about Dan'ls new extracurricular activity?" Brian had asked, from his shotgun seat in the jeep.

"Oh, I figure to just let him find out when he comes home to visit. No sense worrying him with it. He needs to concentrate on his own studies and he won't do that if he's preoccupied with worrying about his kid brother." Adam replied.

"He worry's like an old grandma. Don't know where the hell he get's that." Brian laughed shaking his head.

"I think he got it from Mom. She had a way about her that reminds me of Crane." Adam answered thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Brian agreed. Hey, ain't that Ed?" Brian said pointing to the deputy sheriff standing on the sideline watching the team practice.

"I believe it is." Adam replied, turning the jeep into the driveway and pulling up next to Ed Sykes' county cruiser.

"Hey Ed. You gotta sudden interest in football?" Adam said as he climbed out of the jeep and shook the man's hand.

"Hey Adam... Brian." Ed replied as he shook Adam's hand and tipped his hat toward Brian. "My sister's boy is on the team. They just moved here from Stockton a few weeks back. What's brought you boys down here?" Ed asked.

"Daniel's going out for the team, too." Brian replied.

"Well that's great. He's a good kid; tough too I'm sure." Ed said with a laugh.

"Yeah, he is. I hope he'll do okay." Adam replied, the sound of pride coming from his voice that is usually reserved for fathers.

"So what's the story on your nephew? Who is he?" Brian asked.

"His name is Mike. He's trying out for quarter back." Ed replied. "My sister said he's pretty good too. Thought I'd check him out. I don't have any boys, so this is the next best thing I guess.

"Oh, Mike Seymour?" Adam asked.

"That's right, you've heard of him already?" Ed replied, scratching his head.

"Well, Daniel met him yesterday. Apparently, Mike offered to bring him home after practice. I told Daniel I'd have to meet him first." Adam said, sounding almost apologetic. He felt strange admitting to Ed that he had reservations about his nephew.

"Oh I completely understand that, Adam. I wish there were more parents like you in this town. Then I wouldn't have to work so hard." Ed said with a laugh. "He's a good kid though, so far as I know. He made good grades at his last school and he's respectful around me and he's good to his mom."

"Where's his dad?" Brian asked.

"Well, the marriage didn't work out. He walked out on them about six years ago. The kid hasn't seen him since. He has handled it pretty well though. Better than I could have hoped. That's why I feel I should take a little interest in the football. Boys his age need support, you know?" Ed said.

"Oh, we know. Boy do we know!" Brian replied, patting their friend on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess you would at that." Ed replied with a laugh.

"Why is Danny practicing with the older boys?" Adam broke in as he scanned the field and saw Daniel lined up on the defense. He was sure that had to be the varsity squad. They were all a lot bigger than Daniel; they must be older.

"Well, I hear the coach has a shortage of players on Varsity. He's trying out some of the freshmen." Ed explained.

"Alright!" Brian said with a pump of his fist. The thought of having a brother to come watch on the Friday night games got him excited.

"Daniel didn't mention anything about varsity. He's never actually played." Adam said, concern etched on his face.

"Come on, he's got this Adam. He's a McFadden; it's in our blood." Brian said enthusiastically.

Adam just let out a deep breath and settled himself against the front bumper of the jeep. He had to see this for himself.

* * *

Oh man! Brian and Adam are both here! Daniel thought nervously as he looked over at the familiar jeep that had pulled in. They were just in time to see him try out for defensive end. He'd done alright at wide receiver. He had caught a couple of passes, but he found it hard to see the ball coming due to his lack of height. Most of the other players were much taller than him.

Daniel lined up and got into his stance, watching for the snap of the ball. His new friend Mike took the snap and handed the ball off to Hank Parker. _Oh God. _Daniel thought to himself. Hank was 5' 11" and weighed about 200 pounds. He had speed too, which was a deadly combination for a running back. He was the biggest back on the team so of course that's who would get the ball now. Daniel was sure the burly senior was about to make a complete fool of him in front of friends and family alike.

_Stay home._

Those simple words from the coach were playing over and over in his head. Daniel's first instinct had been to run to the inside when he saw Hank cut inward off of the line. He was so anxious to be in on the stop so as to impress his brothers as well as the coaches, but his instructions had been clear._ Stay home, protect the end McFadden. That's your job. Don't let the back draw you away from home. The outside is your turf and you have to defend it._

Daniel was pretty bummed that he wasn't going to be anywhere near the play when he saw Hank run to the inside and get stopped by the defensive line. What he didn't expect was for Hank to break two tackles and turn and run around the corner to the outside and up the sideline. Hank had only one man to beat... and that was Daniel McFadden. _Oh shit! He's gonna score on me!_ Daniel thought in a panic as he took note of where he was positioned on the field. He was on the three yard line and Hank was lumbering straight for him, confident that he could just bowl Daniel over. Daniel moved toward his opponent about a yard and readied himself to make the tackle, remembering quickly the approach he'd been taught earlier when working with the tackling dummies. He squared his shoulders and put his right one into Hank's shoulder pad and wrapped his arms around him.

Daniel found himself trying to identify the source of the noise he'd just heard, not realizing that it was the sound of his impact with Hank. He felt himself toppling over to the left, still entwined with Hank who was falling with him. Suddenly reality hit Daniel as he hit the turf. Dear God nothing had ever hurt him that much. Was he going to die? Where did all the air go? Panic engulfed him when he realized he couldn't suck in any air. He was in head to toe pain and if that weren't bad enough, he realized too that he couldn't breathe!

* * *

"Woah, looks like he's only got Daniel to beat!" Ed said excitedly. "Look at the speed that big boy's got!"

Adam watched in disbelief as his little brother squared off against this giant. He suddenly remembered the story of David from the Bible. He sure hoped for a similar outcome for Daniel, but he didn't see how it was possible without a miracle from God. _Get out of his way Danny! He's too big for you to stop._ Adam's mind screamed and Adam winced when he heard the hit. It sounded unnatural. Shoulder pads weren't supposed to make that much noise. As both boys fell, Adam felt an instant nausea build up in him. His eyes didn't want to take in the sight of the collision, but he couldn't look away. This was Danny. _His _boy. He couldn't do a damned thing to stop it from happening, but he would not take the coward's way out and turn away. Daniel had committed to his task and Adam wasn't going to bail on him. He had no idea how badly the hit had hurt Daniel, but it had hurt Adam down to his soul. He found himself moving forward toward's the field, but felt Brian's strong hands grabbing at his shoulders, willing him to stop. He hesitated for just a second, before looking at Brian, who was telling him to calm down and not go humiliate the boy in front of his friends.

"Calm down, Adam. He's got this. Don't go out there yet." Brian said. Adam glanced quickly at Brian and saw the panic in his eyes. He was just as scared as Adam was. It was plainly written on his face.

Brian was big on pride. He knew this was important to Daniel and he wasn't going to let anyone take away the boys' dignity he thought as he stopped Adam from rushing out to the field. "Look, he's moving around. The coach is checking on him." Brian offered in support. "Come on, come on Dan'l... get up kid; you're tough." Brian said softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he watched helplessly as his little brother was taking too long to get up after the play. He noted with pride though, that the kid with the ball was getting up slowly too; and was three yards shy of the goal line to boot. No matter what, Daniel had done his job; he didn't let the big guy score on him. Brian would be bursting out in celebration right now if he wasn't afraid Daniel was near death. He'd never seen a hit that violent between teammates. Those kind of hits were usually reserved for opponents in real games. Brian hoped the coach wouldn't come down on either kid for it. They were both just doing what they were told to do.

* * *

Daniel felt the traiterous tears fill his eyes just as he sucked in his first breath of air. He was sure he'd gone without breathing for at least ten minutes, though, he logically knew that wasn't true. It sure felt like it though. He remembered falling out of the hayloft a couple of years back and it had felt like this... well maybe it didn't feel as bad as this, but it was close. He remembered Adam helping him up and sitting with him, explaining that he had knocked his wind out. He remembered the feeling of panic and how the sound of Adam's voice had been instantly calming. He wished he were here right now. That's when he remembered. _Oh God! Adam is here. Did he see the play? Was he running over to him now? Please, please, please God don't let my big brothers run onto this field. I'll be humiliated. I won't be able to face my teammates. _Daniel was relieved when he looked up in response to the voice calling out to him. It wasn't Adam or Brian. It was the head coach. He took the hand the coach extended to him and allowed himself to be pulled up to a sitting position.

"That's it, take it slow, McFadden. You got the wind knocked out. Let me look you over." The coach continued as he removed Daniel's helmet. He grasped Daniel's head and looked him in the eyes. "Are you dizzy son? Does your head hurt?" The coach asked quietly.

_Is he joking? Yes, my head hurts! My toes hurt and everything in between hurts_!

Daniel thought hysterically. He fought for his composure though as he willed the tears in his eyes to go away.

"No sir. I'm okay." Daniel answered sheepishly. He knew that he really was okay. He could tell nothing was broken. It just hurt like hell but he wasn't about to tell the coach that. Slowly, Daniel allowed the coach to pull him to his feet. That's when he remembered Hank. He was being helped up too by Mike and another teammate named Doug.

"Hell of a hit, Daniel!" Mike said enthusiastically. "You're a tough little man, ain't ya? You okay?" Daniel's new friend continued to ask.

"Yeah. Are you okay?" Daniel said, finding his voice and looking over at Hank.

"Yeah I'm fine. You got guts, kid." The bigger guy said, standing up and patting Daniel on the shoulder pad.

"Well, it looks like we have our new defensive end boys." The coach announced.

Daniel suddenly realized that he hadn't seen his brothers since the play. He quickly looked over and saw Brian pumping his fists in the air. When he met Daniel's gaze he gave him the thumbs up sign. Daniel simply smiled and reciprocated. He then took a look at Adam and wanted to laugh. He was pale and Daniel thought he suddenly looked old. _I must've scared him. Hell, I scared me! _Daniel thought to himself. He could also see a sense of pride on Adam's face too, mixed in with the fear. Daniel suddenly felt like he was ten feet tall. He had made his brothers' proud. No moment in his life to date had ever felt this good for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

The ride home from practice found Daniel still feeling jubilant. The coach had given him the starting position and he had received lots of praise from his teammates and their dads who had been watching practice and had witnessed the play.

"Boy Dan'l. I gotta tell ya, I wasn't sure you were gonna get up after that hit. I honestly didn't think you could stop that kid. I've never seen or heard a hit that hard, man!" Brian boasted.

Daniel wasn't about to share with him the fact that he was hurting so badly right now that he could cry. He hoped to keep that little piece of information to himself.

Adam had checked him over thoroughly as soon as he walked up to them. "You sure you're okay sport?" Adam had asked Daniel. He assured his brother that he was fine. Then, Deputy Sykes had congratulated him. He hadn't realized until that moment that Ed was Mike's uncle.

Mike had walked out of the field house with Daniel. He had introduced himself to Adam and Brian after saying hello to his uncle.

"You boy's looked good out there." Deputy Sykes offered, shaking his nephew's hand.

"Yeah, did you see my boys' hit?" Mike said smiling indicating Daniel. _Guess I'm in with the quarterback now._ Daniel thought to himself. In high school, being friends with the top jock was good for ones' social life. A fact Daniel was very aware of. He found himself thinking back to those girls in class earlier. He wished they had been there to see his big football debut. That Joanna girl was awfully pretty. Daniel couldn't help but notice that she had either already gone through her awkward stage or was just so beautiful that she'd never _had_ an awkward stage. Her skin appeared flawless even though she was wearing a minimal amount of makeup. He remembered Brian saying that the girls would start to look better soon. He figured Brian must be right. This girl was a sophomore. Up until now, Daniel had only been checking out the girls in his freshman class. They were all suffering from the same problems as the boys his age, although, Daniel was an exception. Puberty was being pretty kind to him. But most of his classmates seemed to be riddled with acne and a lack of self confidence. All of which he figured came with the territory of being the babies on campus.

Adam pulled Daniel out of his thoughts by saying "You're awfully quiet Danny. You're not hiding an injury from us, are you?" He asked. Adam knew Daniel well enough to know that he would put up a facade with them. He was full of pride and hated to be coddled. Adam couldn't help but worry a little after witnessing that hit.

"No Adam, I'm fine... honest." Daniel answered looking up at his big brother.

Adam couldn't help but smile back at him. He was so proud of the kid. He remembered how proud his Dad always seemed when he would watch Adam play basketball. Now, he was pretty sure he knew how Adam, Sr. had felt back then.

"Okay. You'll be sore as the dickens tomorrow though." Brian piped in.

Well, we've got a nice tale to tell at the supper table tonight, don't we?" Adam said.

"Yeah and please make sure y'all tell Evan all about it. Don't leave out anything." Daniel said, his face beaming.

"You mean you don't wanna tell it yourself?" Brian asked, laughing.

"Nah. I just wanna sit there and eat and watch his face turn red when you brag on me." Daniel replied with a grin. _This is gonna eat Evan up! I make varsity on my very first day of practice... and I'm only a freshman and I've never played before! _Daniel thought with a sense of satisfaction he'd never felt before. _This is gonna be great!_

It had been great, too. Dinner was lively as everyone heartily ate Brian's chili, both of Daniel's big brothers had reiterated the whole story to the youngest three McFaddens. Evan was happy about it all though. He too, was proud of Daniel and couldn't wait to tell his friends. Daniel had hoped he would be. He and Evan were close and loved each other unconditionally. They were just super competitive with each other and they always had been. Daniel wasn't exactly sure why they were... they just were. Closeness in age, he supposed.

"You're gonna have girls falling all over you bro. The girls love jocks. Were the cheerleaders practicing? Did you see any of them?" Evan began asking one excited question after another.

Daniel laughed and answered each question with a matching level of enthusiasm. It was nice to feel like he and Evan could bond over something. They had each others back with anyone else that may try to bother them, but they did tend to butt heads with each other when no one else was giving them a problem. Daniel figured this may help their relationship somehow.

* * *

The following day was pretty exciting for Daniel... most of it anyway. Word had spread to a number of his Freshman classmates about him making the varsity team and about his stellar tryout. He was already enjoying the added attention he was garnering with the girls. They were giggling and whispering and pointing at him all through the day. Daniel thought it just couldn't get much better. Well, once he got out of first period... Algebra was still kicking his butt.

Daniel was having a hard time making heads or tails of the formula's. _But why does x equal 2. What does that mean? Just because it does? Huh? _Daniel had been brought up to respect his elders, but he felt like Mr. Kramer should find a new line of work. _I wish he would break things down and explain them like Crane does._ Over and over that kept going through Daniel's mind. A fellow can only get so lost in something before he's unable to even listen anymore. His thoughts were overriding Mr. Kramer's voice and soon he was lost in them.

Class had finished and Daniel hadn't even heard what their homework assignment was supposed to be. Not that it really mattered, he wouldn't have a clue how to do it anyway. Daniel looked up at the board and copied down the homework instructions quickly and rushed out the door. Mr. Kramer was glaring at him and he had no idea why, but it sure made him uncomfortable. He had never felt so ill at ease with a teacher in his life... and he had been through some cantankerous ones, no doubt. But he had never had a person, whether it be a teacher or otherwise, just decide to not like him without even getting to know him first.

After football practice, Daniel had met up with Mike at his car. There he found out that another teammate, Doug Simmons was going to be riding with them. Daniel knew this guy... at least by reputation. He was in the Junior class and was well known to everyone... notorious might be a better word to describe him. He stayed in trouble for one thing or another. His whole family was like that. They had a bad reputation in Murphys.

Daniel figured with Mike being new, he just hadn't figured that out about Doug yet. He was confidant that it wouldn't take Mike very long to figure it out though. Daniel just prayed that Adam wouldn't find out about him riding home in the evenings with Mike. Daniel feared that Adam may forbid him to ride with his new friend to keep him from associating with the likes of Doug. And he really, really wanted to ride with Mike.

Mike was the coolest. He was one of those new kids that became instantly popular. He was a good looking boy and had an outgoing personality. The kind of guy that just never met a stranger. Daniel liked him a lot. He had friends his own age, but Daniel always preferred to hang out with his big brother Crane. Mike kind of reminded Daniel of him with his easy going nature. He was smart too and being sixteen, he knew more about things than Daniel. Daniel wanted desperately to keep Mike as a friend... and as a high school ally.

"So little McFadden, how does it feel playing ball with us big boys?" Doug had asked as soon as Mike peeled out of the parking lot.

"My name's Daniel, please use it." Daniel replied grumpily. _This guy doesn't know me to call me anything, but he's not going to call me little. _Daniel thought to himself irritatedly.

"Ooh, I guess he told _you!_" Mike laughed. Doug didn't laugh at first, but after he studied Daniel for a moment, he broke into a grin too.

"My bad Daniel. It's just that I kinda know your older brother Crane. I had study hall with him his Senior year. He helped a lot of us with homework and stuff. He's a pretty cool dude in my book. I guess if you're anything like him, we'll get along okay."

"My brother's the best. There's no reason for anyone not to like Crane." Daniel replied. "We're not really that much alike, but we're tight." He answered honestly.

"Cool. So, are you smart like your brother?" Doug went on asking Daniel questions.

"I do alright." Daniel replied. "Except Algebra."

"Ha, join the club!" Doug replied smiling. "Who you got?"

"Kramer." Daniel said flatly.

"Ah ha! Well we've all been there I guess, huh?" Doug laughed.

"I haven't." Mike stated. "What's his deal?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"Well, lets just say if you're not the best of the best, he doesn't have time for ya. He caters to the goody-goody kids and nobody else." Doug explained.

"Don't worry McFadden. If that's your only problem, then you've made friends with the right person." Doug said.

"What do you mean by that?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Well, I just happen to have the answer key to the old guy's tests and... since tests are the only scores that go in the grade book, I'd say you are in for an easy course, McFadden." Doug answered proudly.

"Wait a minute. The kid can't cheat his way through Algebra, where would that put him next year in Algebra II?" Mike asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"That depends on him." Doug replied.

"How so?" Daniel asked nervously. He knew better than to cheat, but Doug's comments were making him awfully curious.

"Well, I happen to know that your graduation requirements are different _if_ you are in vocational education... and you're taking shop class, right?" Doug asked with a smile.

"Yeah, so?" Daniel asked again.

"So, all you have to do is talk to the counselor and tell her that you intend to go into a vocation after high school rather than college. That way, you are only required to pass one higher math. You get Algebra out of the way this year, you can skate through on a General Mathematics class next year and not have to worry about Algebra II, Geometry or any other higher maths." Doug explained.

"Really? I didn't know that. Are you sure?" Daniel was starting to feel a little more hopeful.

"I'm positive. That's what I'm doing and the requirements for graduation haven't changed in the last couple of years." Doug answered triumphantly.

"I dunno, Doug. He doesn't need to cheat... I mean, he could get caught." Mike said, shooting both of his passengers a doubtful look.

"Oh, are you telling me our QB is a goody-goody?" Doug guffawed.

"No, I'm not! I'm just saying it sounds a little lame. It sounds a bit risky to me, McFadden, but you do what you want." Mike said.

"Mike, I don't like to think about cheating either, but... Kramer may not give me a choice." Daniel said doubtedly.

"Tell you what, keep trying to learn it and if you aren't catching on by the time he gives his first exam, come see me and I'll hook you up. We jocks gotta stick together." Doug replied with a laugh.

* * *

Daniel did give Algebra an honest try for the remainder of the week. He even tried to talk to Mr. Kramer after class, but had been met with an attitude. The man clearly had no time to spare for Daniel and the boy couldn't figure out why. He had been very respectful in class and did nothing to make any trouble. Irregardless, the man seemed to despise even the sight of Daniel. Clearly he wasn't going to get any help from his teacher.

So Daniel considered his other options. Brian or Adam. Brian never hid the fact that Algebra was not his subject. He had eeked by in high school but he claimed that none of it ever stuck in his head. Daniel figured with Crane off at college he was going to have to ask Adam for help. He actually tried a couple of times, but Adam had gotten short with Daniel each time. The other boys were in constant need of Adam's attention too and Daniel quickly realized that he just couldn't bother his eldest sibling with this. Besides, it would only disappoint Adam to know that Daniel couldn't understand Algebra.

One evening while doing chores, Daniel found some alone time with Brian. He decided to ask him about his relationship with Mr. Kramer.

"Brian, why doesn't Mr. Kramer like you?" Daniel asked timidly.

Brian stiffened at the mention of the man's name, Daniel noticed. Brian thought for a moment, then pushed his cowboy hat back on his head a bit and looked at his younger brother.

"Dan'l. It's kinda complicated. I really don't enjoy talking about it too much. Why you wanna know?" Brian asked.

"I dunno. I just been wonderin' I guess." Daniel said with a shrug of his shoulders. He knew Brian was a brooder and when he didn't want to talk, he usually didn't.

It surprised Daniel a bit when Brian relented and began to talk. "Dan'l. I had Kramer in the tenth grade. I was fifteen and-uh well... everything had just happened... with the folks and all, you know?

Daniel understood right away, remembering that Brian had been a Sophomore in high school when their parents were killed. He suddenly felt his stomach churn. He realized he had hit a touchy subject with Brian. None of the McFadden boys enjoyed remembering how their lives were right after losing their parents. Daniel held up his hand to stop Brian.

"Hold on Bri. I get it, you don't have to say anything." Daniel replied.

"Is he giving you a hard time Dan'l?" Brian asked, looking concerned.

Daniel wanted to explain what was going on, but he couldn't. He couldn't even understand it himself.

"Nah, I was just curious is all." Daniel explained.

Brian studied the kid for a moment. He wasn't sure if Daniel was being honest with him or not, but he knew Kramer had taught Crane and there had been no problems. He had put to bed any notion he may have had about Kramer punishing his brothers for his own actions while in his class... and action there had been.

Their parents' accident had happened early in the school year, during their first semester. Brian had missed some time after their deaths but the principal had worked it out with his teachers to let him make up his missed work. He had been tutored after school until he caught up. Everyone had been very accommodating to him but Brian had sensed that Kramer was resentful of having to give him "special treatment." It had angered Brian, but rather than tell the school principal there was a problem, Brian acted out in Kramer's class. He did everything he could to tick the guy off. Brian was hurting over his loss and was already mad at the world, so when Kramer chose to be a jerk to him, Brian gladly gave it back to the guy in spades. He passed his class, barely, but he was certain that he was at the top of Kramer's "most hated student list." It was a few years later, when Crane landed in the man's class that Brian worried that his behavior may have caused his younger brothers' a problem. But, Crane had never had an issue with the man so Brian figured the guy must've let bygones be bygones. He wondered now if there was a problem.

"Dan'l, are you sure everything's okay with Kramer? Brian asked again, studying the boy closely.

"I'm sure Brian. It's all good." Daniel shrugged.

Brian took the boy at his word, but decided he would pay close attention to Daniel's Algebra grade. If there was any sign of trouble, Brian knew he would have to step in. He figured he probably owed the guy an apology, but that was a hard thing for a guy like Brian McFadden to do and he would avoid it if he could.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

The following week had been busy for Daniel. Between school, football practice and duties at the ranch, he had barely had a moment to himself. He realized quickly as the days passed by that Algebra was not getting any easier for him. He struggled to understand the obscurity of Mr. Kramer's lessons. Everything seemed to float over his head in that class. But other aspects of his life was going smoothly, like football and flirting with girls. He had had no trouble in those areas.

Daniel had not particularly taken a shine to any one girl, but he had no shortage of them taking a shine to him. The cheerleaders practiced every day that the football team did and Daniel had noticed no less than four of them being very flirtatious on the sideline and two of them were sophomores. Yes, he supposed Brian was right about the girls and their improving looks. Doug had teased him several times about taking advantage of his newfound popularity, but Daniel had been raised to always treat girls with respect and, in spite of raging hormones, he still found himself a little shy around them. He had merely thrown a wink and a smile around here and there but was becoming aware that he could likely get a date with any of a number of them, but he didn't really have time even if Adam would allow it.

The football team had won their first football game easily and Daniel got in a lot of playing time. The whole McFadden clan, minus Crane, had attended. He was treated like a hero on the drive home, even though he hadn't really had any big plays that were key in the game, Adam and Brian especially seemed pleased with him. Daniel relished in the feeling of approval he saw in the eyes of his eldest brother. He wasn't sure why, but his need to please Adam had always been great and it seemed as though that need was just continuing to grow.

Which is why Daniel found himself so distressed about his problems with Algebra. He had his first test coming up next week and this would be for a major grade. It had been easy to hide from everyone the struggles he was having in Kramer's class, because homework wasn't recorded as a grade. They would go over the answers in class and the students were allowed to correct their mistakes. So Daniel never had to show his incorrect work to Adam or Brian. He knew if Crane were home, he'd be on top of Daniel, questioning him to death about every little thing. But, Crane wasn't home and Daniel rationalized that if he were, he wouldn't be struggling in Algebra because Crane would find a way to make him understand it.

In spite of the nagging feeling in his gut, Daniel had accepted Doug's offer and now had in his possesion the answer key to all of Kramer's tests-provided the man didn't bother to change them, Daniel had an easy out to his situation. But again, his upbringing was getting in the way of his taking the easy way out and he was struggling with a conscience the size of Mount Rushmore. He had to figure out what was more important to him; pleasing Adam or being honest. He knew cheating was wrong, but somehow the thought of disappointing Adam was in the forefront of Daniel's young mind. It was killing him to think of facing a disappointed big brother.

Brian and Crane never disappointed Adam. The three of them were like a team. Daniel had always envied that. He had always wanted to be included in that dynamic trio. After all, he was a McFadden brother. He too had inherited the family business and he worked right alongside his brothers day after day to make the ranch pay. Why did Adam see him only as a kid? He had proven he could handle the work and yet, Adam never really seemed to acknowledge it yet he was always quick to point out the boy's mistakes. He just looked at Daniel as one of the 'little guys' that was in his charge.

"Adam, did Crane decide to come home this weekend?" Daniel asked hopefully as he put his supper dishes in the sink. It was Evan and Ford's turn at doing the dishes, but Daniel was always mindful to help clear the table after their evening meal.

Adam barely acknowledged Daniel's question as he looked over the paperwork that Guthrie had brought home from his teacher. "Nah, he's got some labs to work on this weekend, sport. He said maybe next weekend." Adam answered absent mindedly.

Daniel was crushed with that answer. He was hoping and praying that Crane would be home sooner rather than later and that perhaps he could help him catch up with Mr. Kramer's class. The pressure of the test upcoming next Friday was weighing heavily on him. The desire to not disappoint Adam was growing by the minute. He found his heart to be in constant turmoil about it. He knew it was wrong to cheat and was also afraid of getting caught, but it didn't outweigh is concern about disappointing Adam. He longed so much for Crane that it physically hurt.

* * *

The Friday morning of the Algebra test found Daniel jumpier than he'd ever been in his life. He was miserable on the inside. He thought his guts were going to explode all over the kitchen as he took his place at the breakfast table.

"Dan'l what's up with you? Are you just gonna play with that food or what?" Brian asked with a stern gaze from across the table.

"Just not real hungry today, Bri." Daniel muttered glumly. He could suddenly feel Adam's gaze turn to him too and Daniel felt his own ears begin to burn. He was willing them not to be as red as they felt.

"You gettin' sick, Danny?" His eldest brother asked with concern. When Adam's hand reached over to check Daniel's forehead for fever, Daniel quickly shrugged him off as he replied grumpily, "no Adam, I'm fine. I just have a lot going on today."

"Well, it's no wonder it's all catching up to ya. What did I tell ya about all this extracurricular activity you've gotten yourself involved in?" Adam replied, shaking his fork in Daniel's direction.

Daniel shot a quick glance at Adam and then waived him off. "I'm good Adam. It's not too much for me... I just... it's just, I have tests today and I'm thinking about them." Daniel explained, hoping to keep the subject of his schoolwork generalized. The last thing he wanted was to call anyone's attention to Algebra.

"Oh don't sweat it kid. You're grades are really good so far." Brian chimed in.

"I know." Daniel replied quietly.

"He's right Daniel. Listen I've been meaning to say somethin' about that. I'm really proud of ya sport. You're kicking butt so far this year. I haven't even seen a C come home yet. You don't know how much that means to me kiddo." Adam bragged.

_Great. That's just what I need. Adam's proud speech. That'll come to an end today, unless I..._

Daniel broke off his own thoughts. He couldn't even bring himself to think about cheating on that test. The only thing worse was thinking about the proud grin disappearing from Adam's face when he saw his test grade; the grin he was sporting right now. The one Daniel longed to see always, but rarely ever earned from a big brother who was more like a father to him. Affirmation of approval that Daniel so desperately longed for. Adam was stingy with his emotions but when he showed his pride in his brothers, they all lapped it up- especially Daniel.

"Quit worrying so much Daniel. I'm sure you're gonna do fine. You've got this, okay?" Brian said encouragingly.

"Okay, Brian." Daniel replied.

"Hey, just do your best Danny. That's all anyone can ask of you in life anyway." Adam said as he mussed Daniel's hair.

Daniel said nothing else. He just gulped down his milk and quickly left the table to head for the bus stop. _My best._ He thought to himself. _Oh Adam, if only that were good enough._

* * *

Daniel shivered from within as he carefully shoved the answer key to the unit one test underneath his scratch paper. He nervously bounced the eraser end of his pencil against the test as his legs bounced uncontrollably beneath his desk.

"Nervous, Mr. McFadden? You should be. My tests warrant a healthy respect from my students." Kramer said with a haughty gloat as he placed the blank test on his desk. Daniel could feel displeasure dripping off of the man and again wondered to himself why the guy hated him so much.

Daniel flipped over the test and immediately began to sweat. His fingers began to twitch from his anxiety and his pencil actually fell out of his hands several times. He could feel the teachers' eyes boring into him each time he bent over to retrieve it. _Great job Daniel. Keep drawing attention to yourself. He's gonna think you're cheating even when you're not._

Cheating... oh how tempting it was. All the neatly worked out formulas and their correct answers were tucked underneath a half dozen sheets of notebook paper. All Daniel had to do was flip up those thin sheets and his troubles would be over. His conscience would not allow it though. McFadden's were a lot of things, but they were not cheaters. They were honest, hardworking and loyal and cheating-well cheating was out of the question.

Daniel stared at the test glumly. He knew he couldn't work through an algebraec formula and come up with a correct answer to save his life. He could get through the first couple of steps, then he would get lost. But he wouldn't go down without a fight. He began to use the scratch paper, trying desperately to work out the first couple of problems. Everyone and everything in the room surrounding him faded out as he became engrossed in trying to figure out the answers. He even forgot about the answer key underneath the scratch paper, as he was so foused on his task at hand.

Maybe that was why he was unaware when he dropped his pencil for the fourth time, he didn't realize that his classmate Becky, seated in the desk behind him had gotten up to turn in her completed test.

Becky was the smartest kid in his class. She was always the first to finish any test in any subject. It had been that way as long as Daniel could remember; all they way back to the first grade. She was a tall, thin girl with pretty eyes. She paid no attention to her looks, though. She was all about being the best. She had told Daniel a week or so earlier that she was determined to be the Valedictorian of their class. Daniel had no doubt the girl would succeed in it either.

As Becky rose from her desk, Daniel bent over to pick up his pencil and Becky literally ran into him. The collision caused everything on Daniel's desk to fall to the floor. Daniel put his hand down to break himself from falling to the floor and it landed on top of his now exposed answer key. His heart stopped as his eyes came to rest on what was now exposed to the class. A shiver ran down his spine as he heard Becky's excited voice say "Daniel McFadden, you're cheating!"

He felt as though it took him forever to grab the papers up and right himself in his desk but realisitcally it was only a fraction of a second. He knew it was over as he heard the loud footsteps of Mr. Kramer approaching them.

"Mr. McFadden! Give it to me, now!" Mr. Kramer demanded.

"Mr. Kramer, I wasn't- I didn't..." Daniel began. The words fell from his lips as he met eyes his teachers stern gaze. A teacher that hated him already for some unknown reason. What was the point in arguing? He was caught dead to rights and there was nothing he could say that anyone was going to believe. The disgusted look on the man's face let Daniel know that he was already defeated. "Come with me." Kramer continued in his judgemental voice.

Daniel got up and followed the man out of class. He was a bit relieved that at least the chastising wasn't going to happen in front of his classmates. Classmates that were all staring in disbelief at Daniel. Classmates that had know him his whole life and knew... knew this was completely out of character. Some had looks of pity, while a few gloated. Most of them merely looked shocked. Daniel had never in his life felt this kind of shame. Would any of them believe him if he denied cheating? He didn't even want to think about that right now, so he dropped his head as he followed his livid teacher out into the hallway.

"Let's just take this up with Mr. Hodges. I'm so angry I don't trust myself alone with you right now. I knew you were trouble when I first laid eyes on you, just like your brother!" Kramer spat out as he led Daniel down the long hallway towards the principals office.

Daniel wanted to ask him which brother he was referring to, but he instinctively knew it wasn't Adam or Crane. Crane was a perfect student and the man really didn't know Adam; nor was it Evan, Ford or Guthrie. He had no idea who they were. It had to be Brian, Daniel pondered to himself. Daniel felt an odd sense of guilt as his younger brothers' flashed through his mind. _Boy, have I messed it up for those guys. Whatever Brian did, I'm being punished for and now, what will those guys go through because of me?_ Daniel thought to himself guiltily.

The principal, Mr. Hodges sat across from the desk listening intently to Mr. Kramer. He was staring at the answer key as he listened to the man reiterate the events that had happened during the test.

The office secretary had been sent back to the class to monitor the students who were still testing. She had been instructed to check each student's scratch paper and if anyone else had a copy of the answer key, she was to bring them to the office also.

Daniel listened as Mr. Hodges instructed the secretary and his stomach began to churn. He hoped and prayed no one else in the class was cheating. He didn't want anyone else getting into trouble; his conscience couldn't take it.

"Nobody else knows about it, sir." Daniel blurted out. He didn't even recognize his own voice. He hadn't intended to speak, but the words just poured out before he could stop.

"No? Well, perhaps you could share with me how you managed all by yourself to get a copy of Mr. Kramer's test." Mr. Hodges replied, his face red with agitation.

"I keep that test under lock and key. My classroom stays locked except when I'm in there. There is no way he lifted that from my filing cabinet." Mr. Kramer barked.

"Calm down, Horace. Why don't you go back to your class. Daniel and I will talk this all out." Mr. Hodges suggested as he motioned towards his door.

"Well, you see to it that you get to the bottom of it. And I want this boy suspended immediately! Call his folks. He should be paddled by you and then throttled by his father-"

"I don't _have_ a father, remember?" Daniel screamed before he could stop himself. Kramer's words cut him deep. They caused him to hurt almost as much as when he watched his parents being lowered into the ground years earlier. Daniel was surprised himself at how angry he felt. The anger was surpassing the fear and dread that had engulfed him moments before. He knew the outburst was not going to help his case any, but in that very moment, he didn't care. Somehow he knew that whatever had happened between Kramer and Brian had something to do with the mans' indifference to the death of their parents and a newfound hate began to burn in Daniel's gut.

"Calm down, young man. You are in enough trouble as it is." Mr. Hodges scolded.

"Hmm. Another troublemaker in the family. I hate to see what the younger ones are going to be like." Kramer retorted.

"Horace, that'll be enough. I'll speak to you later." Mr. Hodges warned the man. Clearly the principal wasn't that fond of the man either.

"Now Daniel, what do you have to say for yourself?" Mr. Hodges asked.

Daniel didn't answer or even look at the man. He stared at his boots and merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I'm going to have to call your brother, Adam." the principal continued.

_Adam! Oh God, no. What's Adam gonna say? He's going to be humiliated. He will never, ever forgive me._

Panic flooded Daniel's senses. This was going to be worse than facing Kramer, Mr. Hodges, his classmates... facing Adam was more than Daniel could even bear to think about.

"Please don't. I didn't cheat Mr. Hodges. Honest, I didn't. I just... I don't understand algebra and... and... I'm really trying. Please don't call Adam. Let me tell him myself." Daniel pleaded. He hated how weak and pitiful his own voice sounded. In spite of his voice changing more than a year earlier, it sounded much too thin and high pitched right now. He sounded like a little kid again and it was mortifying to him.

"Daniel, I'm afraid I can't do that. Cheating is a very serious offense. I'm sorry for the comment Mr. Kramer made about your father, but... Adam is your legal guardian and I have to call him in on this. Your facing suspension... expulsion even. I'll have my secretary make the call and you sit here and think about telling me the truth about where this cheat sheet of yours came from. Then, when your brother gets here, you can tell us both the whole truth of the matter. I promise things will go easier on you from here on out if you're completely honest." Mr. Hodges stated has he got up and briefly left the room to speak with the receptionist, who had returned to her desk moments before.

Daniel's head swam with panic. He couldn't face Adam yet. Brian maybe, but not Adam. Definately not Adam. Oh how he wished he could talk to Crane. If Crane were here, he wouldn't be in this mess. Crane could tell him how to handle Adam now. If only he could see him-talk it all over with him first.

Daniel watched as Mr. Hodges turned his back to walk over to his secretary's desk. His better judgement had taken a backseat to his panic and much to his own disbelief, Daniel suddenly jumped up and bolted out the door of the office. He ran down the long hallway to the double doors and burst through them. The thud behind him as the doors slammed sounded oddly like cell doors of a prison slamming.

Daniel ran and ran. He ran past the empty, parked school buses lined up one behind the other. He ran across the parking lot and past the fence separating the school from the street. He kept running. He had to get to Crane. It didn't matter how far away Sacremento was from Murphys... nor did it matter that the boy had nothing more than a days worth of lunch money in his pocket. He just kept running. He had to get to Crane. Crane could help him fix this. He was the only one who could help him now.


	5. Chapter 5

Finding Daniel chapter five

Adam was livid as he walked through the familiar doors of his high school. He kept going through the conversation he'd had earlier on the phone with Mr. Hodges._ Daniel was caught cheating on his algebra test. He's facing suspension. I need you down here right away._

Adam didn't bother to wait up for Brian as he walked quickly and deliberately down the quiet hallway towards the principals office. Brian had pleaded with him all the way to the school to not get ahead of himself. He kept repeating that Daniel was a good kid and this had to be a mistake.

Mr. Hodges had left no doubt however, that it wasn't a mistake. He had explained that the boy had been caught red handed with a cheat sheet during the test.

Adam couldn't imagine what had gotten into his little brother. Cheating was not tolerated and every one of his brothers knew that. Adam was angry and all he wanted was to see Daniel... to ask him what in the hell he had to say for himself. The thought that his parents must be rolling over in their graves had surfaced numerous times as Adam navigated the pickup the seven miles into town.

Adam's anger actually made him nauseous and for most of the trip and Brian's words went unheard as they sped towards town. He needed to see Daniel and needed to see him now. He wanted an explanation and couldn't wait another minute for it.

As Adam, followed closely by Brian, stepped into the office he felt as though the contents of his stomach may spill out with the words he tensely spoke to the secretary. "I'm Adam McFadden. I'm here to see Mr. Hodges."

"Yes sir, Mr. McFadden. Just one moment. Have a seat please." She responded as she quickly arose from her chair and indicated to both men to have a seat on the ugly, worn out brown sofa sitting opposite of her desk. She excused herself quickly as she went to make Mr. Hodges aware of their arrival.

"Adam listen to me. Don't start in on the kid. Give him a chance to explain things, would ya?" Brian asked tensely.

"Brian. I don't wanna hear it from you. I'll handle it however I see fit." Adam stated angrily.

"Yeah, well just you remember this, big brother. We're raising these boys together. I ought to have some say in it too!" Brian spat at his elder brother sternly.

The words cut Adam deeply. He knew of course that Brian was right. The kid had been by his side every step of the way for the past six years. Adam knew he had a right to speak on anything that concerned their brothers... but the school- and the state, viewed Adam McFadden as the guardian of these boys. In the eyes of everyone else he alone was responsible for all of his brothers; responsible for everything they did wrong or right. It was all a reflection on him... not Brian. Adam had never felt the weight of that fact more than he did right at this moment.

He hated- _hated _ the thought of facing Mr. Hodges with this mess. It was not that many years ago that the man was his high school principal. What would the man who was once so impressed with him think of him now? Would he view him a failure? Adam was just now realizing that some of his anger was coming from his own fear and humiliation at having to face a man that he had once regarded as a guide and mentor in his own life. Could he even be fair to Daniel right now? Was he mature even enough to handle this?

Adam swallowed hard as he pondered it all. He glanced over at Brian and gave him a brief, apologetic look. He knew he had reacted on pure emotion and now he needed to reel it back in. He shared an unspoken 'I can handle this' look with Brian just as Mr. Hodges entered the room to address them.

"Adam, Brian, please step into my office." The older man said.

As Mr. Hodges closed the door behind him, he noticed Adam and Brian looking around the room. "If you're looking for your brother, he's not here." The man said glumly.

"Where the he- heck is he?" Adam replied.

"Well, I was hoping you would know, Adam. He ran out while I was on the phone with you. I've checked his second period class, but no one's seen him. He left all of his things in Mr. Kramer's class" the man explained as he motioned his hand towards a stack of schoolbooks on his desk- Daniel's books. "I brought it all to the office with me. I was hoping he ran home and would show up with you boys." Mr. Hodges continued.

"You thought he ran seven miles home? Are you sure he's not on campus?" Brian asked, clearly alarmed and frustrated.

"I really don't know where he is, Brian, but I am certain that he's not on campus anymore. The janitor said he saw a student running out the front entrance at about that time. Please, please try and stay calm." Mr. Hodges replied nervously. "I honestly hoped he would have headed home. Don't get overly anxious, I know we'll find him. He's likely just scared. Mr. Kramer can be pretty intimidating and he was pretty hot under the collar."

"Look Mr. Hodges-" Adam began.

"Call me John, Adam. You're an adult now." Mr. Hodges interrupted.

"Okay fine. John, I have no idea where my brother is, but if he's run off, then I need to find him." Adam said anxiously.

"I agree, Adam. If I can be of any help, please just say the word. I can call Sheriff Turner if you'd like." Hodges offered, genuine concern etched on his face.

"No, not yet. He probably headed back home. Maybe he took a back trail or something. Let's not get the sheriff involved yet." Adam said as he stood up, anxious to get out of there and find Daniel.

Brian spoke up before Adam could make a move towards the door. "Look, are you sure he was cheating?"

"Well, not exactly. I never really got to talk to him about that. His test paper doesn't show any evidence of it. He only worked the first three problems and they are all incorrect. He did deny cheating and he admitted to me that he was having trouble understanding algebra." Mr. Hodges offered.

"I had no idea. He hasn't brought home any bad grades." Adam replied.

"No, I suppose not. Mr. Kramer doesn't give homework grades. The students are allowed to check their homework and make corrections. Only tests are graded in his class and this was their first test this semester. I don't happen to agree with him on his grading system and we've had numerous discussions on that- but, he has the right to grade students that way if he chooses, even if I don't agree with him." Mr. Hodges explained.

"I see. Well, I don't like it either. If I'd seen any bad grades before the test I could've helped him. But, that's no excuse for cheating either, John. He was wrong for that and I'm going to straighten that out with him as soon as I find him." Adam replied, putting his hat back on his head and again turning to leave.

"So, what are you gonna do to the kid, Mr. Hodges?" Brian asked worriedly.

"Nothing until I've talked it out with him. As I said before, he didn't actually turn in dishonest work. I mainly want to know how he got his hands on this answer key. You boys call me after you find him and we'll have a meeting. I want to hear from Daniel and I'd like for you both to be here when we talk." Mr. Hodges said, concern etched on the man's face.

"We appreciate your time, Mr... uh, John. I apologize for all this trouble Daniel has caused. I'll find him and we'll sit down and talk with you." Adam said, reaching out finally to shake the principal's hand.

"Please, call me and let me know he's okay when you find him. If you need my help, I'm just a phone call away." Mr. Hodges said. Adam knew the man was being completely genuine. He'd always been fond of the man.

After Adam walked out Mr. Hodges stopped Brian before he left the office."Hey, Brian? I know what you're thinking. I can see it written on your face. Don't start blaming yourself for this. I know you and Mr. Kramer have a troubled history but- well I just don't want you beating yourself up before you speak with Daniel. It may not have anything to do with this... but if it does, you need to let me know so I can straighten it out.

Brian looked at the man in utter disbelief. After all these years, how could he be so in tune with Brian's thoughts?

He was absolutely right about what Brian was thinking. Somehow, he knew this mess had something to do with him. Brian was now searching his brain trying to remember exactly what all Daniel had asked him about his relationship with Kramer. It had come up a couple of times but Brian had dismissed the notion that there was a problem. As he reached out now to shake Mr. Hodges' hand he replied, "that man is long overdue an apology from me. You know it as well as I do- and you should have made me do it years ago. But, if he's taking that crap out on my brother- I may have some new issues with him that I'll later have to apologize for." Brian said sternly.

"You're forgetting Brian, how hard it is for anybody to make you do anything when you're not ready to do it." Mr. Hodges said, his lips nearly giving way to a small smile-but he thought better of it, then continued, "go- go find your little brother."

* * *

"Where do you think the kid went, Adam?" Brian asked as he climbed into the truck next to his brother.

"Probably took one of the trails back home. We didn't see him on the road coming in, so he had to have hiked it through the woods." Adam replied.

"I don't know, Adam. Why would come home? I mean, Hodges said he ran out when he was on the phone with us. I'm thinking he lit out to avoid facing us. So why would he come home?" Brian pointed out.

"You mean me, don't you Bri? You mean he wanted to avoid facing _me_." Adam corrected. He knew how predictable he could be. He knew how quick he was to anger and judgement. He could see it in all of their eyes every time he came down too hard on them.

Their father hadn't been that way with Adam, so, why did he always do that to his brothers? Adam had pondered it many times before. He supposed it was fear. Well, fear and lack of wisdom. Hell, he wasn't supposed to be raising kids at his age. He should be finishing college and dating girls, not running a cattle ranch and raising a bunch of rambunctious boys. Still, he loved them so much it hurt and that was his motivation in wanting them to do the best they could.

"Adam, I didn't say that. I wasn't even thinkin' it." Brian replied with a deep sigh.

"Well, it's the truth. I feel like I always expect that kid to screw up. I don't even know why I do it. I mean- Crane, he was just so easy to deal with. Daniel, on the other hand- he likes to do everything the hard way. It's like he has to choose to take all the wrong roads before he goes down the right one, ya know?" Adam said, exasperated.

"You mean kinda like me?" Brian retorted with a disgusted snort.

"Brian-" Adam began.

"No, it's true. Hell, I was_ Dad's_ Daniel. You were more like Crane... You were easy for mom and dad to deal with, while me- I did everything wrong before I figured out the right way... just like Dan'l does. But it doesn't make him bad, Adam. It's just who he is. You gotta admit he makes big comebacks. He's a good kid and you can't argue that." Brian said.

"Yeah, I know he is, but Brian... cheating? I mean, just how did we miss this? I had no idea he was having any trouble. You think this is why he wanted to go the vocational route? Did this one class change his mind about a higher education?" Adam wondered aloud.

It had been bothering him ever since he signed those damned papers a few weeks back. He hadn't questioned it at the time though. He knew realistically that they wouldn't all go to college but he was determined that they would all finish high school. He decided that rather than raise a stink about it now, he would make sure that Daniel took the SAT's at some point down the road and then if he changed his mind about college he would encourage him to go to community college.

Adam was learning to pick and choose his battles with his younger brothers. He didn't have the energy to question and then argue with them at every turn. McFadden's were a stubborn lot and Adam still had a ranch to run on top of raising his siblings. He couldn't sweat the small stuff. Besides, Daniel had raised a good argument with him.

The kid had pointed out his desire to pursue a music career and have mechanics as a fall back vocation. Adam had been bit relieved and even impressed that Daniel had thought it through so logically. At least the kid had a direction and a plan for his future and even though Adam was not thrilled with the thought of any of his brothers being a musician, he could clearly see Daniel possessed the talent for it.

Besides, he was young and had plenty of time to change his mind about music and the mechanic thing was a pretty good plan- not to mention he had the family business to fall back on. Adam secretly wished that all of his brothers would stay in Murphys and help run the ranch. He liked the idea of his family staying together.

"I don't know, Adam. I think he's just sort of lost without Crane- and I can't help but think he wouldn't be having this kind of trouble with Algebra if he had a different teacher." Brian said glumly.

"Bri- don't start. That was a long time ago. Don't go looking for excuses for the boy. Daniel should know by now that he can come to us if he has trouble with a teacher. It wouldn't exactly be the first time, would it? He knows we'll help him." Adam replied flatly. He wasn't about to let Daniel off the hook in this. He was old enough to know better than to cheat and he sure as hell knew better than to run off and scare his family like this.

"Look, let's just find him, huh partner? We'll figure the rest of it out then. Now, where would he go? We've got to think past the ranch. I already know he's not gonna be waiting there." Brian replied shortly. Adam recognized the agitation. It was just like Brian to get angry when he was worried. It was a trait the two of them shared, apparently.

"I don't know. The cabin? Or maybe the lean- to up at the tops?" Adam suggested.

"Tops is a long way to go. If those are my choices, I'm betting on the cabin. It's only a couple hours ride from home." Brian suggested.

"Yeah, let's hope. The kid doesn't have any money, does he? I mean, Angels Camp is only eight miles from town. That's the nearest bus stop." Adam said.

"Why would he go to the bus stop? He doesn't know anybody outside of Murphys, does he?" Brian asked irritatedly.

Adam shot his brother a dreaded look. No words were necessary and Brian immediately read Adam's thoughts. He could see it written all over his big brothers face.

"Nah, huh uh, no way Adam. He wouldn't- couldn't be thinking of going all the way to Sacramento. That's like two hundred sixty miles away. He hasn't got any money to speak of." Brian answered solemnly as the obvious notion in Adam's head began to take hold in his own heart.

_Dammit Daniel. No way would you run off that far._ Even as he denied it to himself Brian became more and more anxious to get home and check the barn for Daniel's tack. He wanted to check the paddock and see if Daniel's horse was there. If they were, then they could pretty much rule out the cabin or the lean to.

"Step on it Adam. If there's no sign of him at home, we're gonna need some help." Brian spoke solemnly as fear suddenly gripped him. He knew instinctively that Daniel wouldn't stop to think of how dangerous a cross country trip would be-if the kid wanted to see Crane, his better judgement wouldn't stop him.

Adam sped up, lost in his own thoughts as he gripped the wheel. It was plain to him now. Daniel running off like that could only mean one thing. He was desperate and he wouldn't want to talk to Adam or Brian. Adam knew it as sure as he knew his own name. The boy was running to the brother that always had his back; always helped him solve his problems- Crane.


	6. Chapter 6

Finding Daniel chapter six

Just as Brian had suspected, there'd been no sign at all of Daniel back at the ranch. The kid's tack and horse were still there and there was no sign that he'd been home to pack clothes, either.

Adam was at a loss of what to do. If Daniel were actually trying to get to Crane as they suspected and not just off sulking somewhere, too afraid to come home, then they had an even bigger problem on their hands. A problem Adam was dreading to come clean about to a worried and agitated Brian.

"Look, Adam. I say we call Davis and get hold of Crane. We need to let him know to be on the lookout in case Dan'l manages to hitch a ride or something. We have no idea whether it's gonna take the kid a few hours or a few days to get to him. Then, we need to find somebody to wait at home in case he shows up or at least calls... somebody that'll be willing to look out for the boys while we search." Brian said as Adam navigated the pickup back into town.

"Hold on Brian. I need to tell you something." Adam began somberly.

"Tell me what?" Brian asked anxiously. He knew that tone in Adam's voice and it sent a sense of dread all through his body.

"Look, I know when we talked to Crane Wednesday, he put off his homecoming another week, but... well, he called again Thursday afternoon and he and I spoke. He had just found out that his professor was cancelling his friday afternoon class and he decided that he would come home after all. The plan is for him to catch the 11:00 am bus and head home. I'm supposed to pick him up this afternoon in Angels Camp."

"Do what? Adam, it's after 12:00 now. You mean Crane's already on his way home?" Brian asked, his voice filled with dread.

"Yeah. That's what I mean." Adam answered him dejectedly. "So we need to find Daniel before he gets too far from home. Problem is, what if we're wrong? I mean, what if he's just-"

Brian broke into Adam's statement. "Adam, he's not just moping around near home. I know it in my gut. He's headin' to Crane. That kid is so intent on pleasing you that he can't... well I just know he's running from facing us with all of this." Brian exclaimed miserably. "Otherwise he'd have showed his face already. It's been what- three hours?"

Adam didn't bother with the obvious answer. They both knew it had been a little over three hours since Daniel ran out of Mr. Hodges office. Adam didn't know what else to do other than take this whole matter to the sheriff. They needed help. It was too big an area to search for just Brian and Adam alone; not to mention they still had three younger brothers to look after... and somebody had to meet Crane at the bus stop too.

The thought of facing Crane with all of this made Adam feel sick all over again. He was already feeling like he was going to lose his marbles worrying about Daniel; facing Crane was going to be horrible.

Even though Adam was nearly six years older than Crane, he sometimes felt inferior to the kid. That was especially true when it came to Daniel and his well being. Crane was super possesive of that particular younger brother. Adam actually felt relieved about it most of the time, what with all the other responsibilities he had. Daniel could be quite difficult and Crane always seemed to know how to handle him. Adam had long ago relinquished control of his third-youngest over to Crane. But, when Adam did make mistakes with Daniel- and it happened a lot- he always felt like a school boy waiting for a scolding from the principal whenever he had to face up to Crane. Crane was like a momma bear and Daniel was his cub. Overprotective was an understatement for sure.

"Look, I'm sure he's following route 4 through Vallecito and on into Angels Camp. We'll have the sheriff put out an all points bulletin or something. Surely somebody will see him. Then one of us can head into Angels Camp to get Crane and search for Daniel at the same time." Adam said after a long pause.

"We don't really know if he took route 4. What if he took Murphys Grade Road?" Brian snapped. He always got short when he was worried.

"That's why I'm going to talk to Buck, Bri. He can get authorities in the neighboring towns to start looking. But I'm sure he's gonna follow Route 4. He knows that route a lot better and besides, he's likely trying to hitch and it has way more traffic than Grade Road." Adam answered, unable to hide the defeated tone in his voice.

Adam was scared. This was a potentially dangerous situation. The kid had no money and just the clothes on his back. It didn't help that rain had been forecast for the entire weekend.

He would logically have to hitch hike and Adam couldn't even stand to think of the dangers in that. Lord knows who could pick him up. Daniel was a smart kid, but there were all kinds of folks in this world and Daniel was pretty sheltered. Murphys was a safe town to live in. Everybody trusted and looked out for each other. But the world outside of Murphys was different. There were stories on the news all the time about missing kids and abductions- and worse... way, way worse. If anything happened to Daniel, Adam didn't know what he would do. They had to find him and find him quick.

* * *

Crane McFadden couldn't shake the eerie feeling he'd had for the last couple of hours. He knew he should be excited, after all, he hadn't seen his family in weeks. Phone calls every week were brief and didn't afford him much more than a glimpse into the lives of his brothers while he was studying for his college degree.

He liked his life at Davis just fine and loved the challenges his classes posed, but, somehow a longing for the simple life back home nagged at him all the time. It seemed that every waking moment of his life these days was haunted by an ever present call from the majesty of California's motherlode country.

Ranch life was hard, especially when your entire cattle operation rests on the backs of a group of rowdy orphans- the majority of whom were still kids. Still, as hard as it was there was a lot of satisfaction to be gained from conquering the day to day struggles while working side by side with your brothers. Crane couldn't help but well up with pride each time he thought of the life he and his brothers were carving out for themselves. His college education was to play a key part in whether or not the McFadden clan could actually earn an honest living as cattle ranchers.

Still, as his excitement grew with every familiar landmark the bus rolled past, Crane was hit over and over again with a sense that something was off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but his sixth sense was kicking in hard. Had he forgotten something? He couldn't think of anything. He really didn't need to bring anything home with him in the first place; he had plenty of clothes waiting in his room at the ranch. All he needed really was his schoolbooks which were sitting on his lap.

Crane had known that he would need to find some study time in the midst of this visit and he had all of his books in tow. He smiled as he imagined how studying once he got home would go for him. Sharing a room with Daniel would make it a nearly impossible feat. That kid was so full of energy and always had plenty to talk about. Crane's smile grew bigger as he imagined what six weeks worth of catching up with his closest brother would be like. So why then, did his heart feel so heavy now? He was excited to see them all- especially Daniel. He couldn't wait to see the surprise on the kids' face. It was going to be epic.

Crane shook off his bad feelings and tried to concentrate on the chapter he had been studying for the last half hour. He figured the bus ride to Angels Camp as well as the return trip to Sacramento would likely be his best opportunity to study. He supposed this feeling he had would fade soon enough. He'd be off the bus and greeting Adam in an hour or so. Might as well make use of this quiet time and stop fretting over feelings he couldn't do anything about. He reassured himself that he would feel better once he was surrounded by his family and their beloved Circle Bar Seven Ranch.

* * *

Daniel had slowed down after about twenty minutes of jogging along the treeline just out of sight of the roadway. He had considered following route 4, but feared Adam and Brian would come looking for him. He had one goal in mind and wasn't about to let anyone or anything stop him from getting to Crane.

Why couldn't Crane have come home last weekend? He had planned to visit but put it off because of schoolwork and then, he'd put it off again this weekend. Daniel had never needed his brother like he'd needed him these last few weeks. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, Daniel thought to himself as he recalled all the tough spots Crane had helped him through, but, it was definately up there in the top three.

The Murphys Grade Road was less traveled so hitchhiking would prove to be more challenging, but not impossible. Daniel figured once he made it through Angels Camp he'd have a better chance at finding a ride.

He had practically jogged the whole five miles from Murphys to Vallecito and he was now less than two miles away from Angels Camp. He prayed he could find someone there at least heading in the general direction of Sacramento that would be willing to give him a ride.

It was a four plus hour ride from Murphys to Sacramento, Daniel remembered. It hadn't been that long ago that he had taken his first road trip there. Adam had allowed him to go along to take Crane to college. That ride had been anything but pleasant. Daniel had been miserable and had done everything in his power to try to make his brothers feel as badly as he did.

Daniel shuddered as he remembered that day. Adam had lost his patience with him more than once, he remembered now. But, considering his behavior at the time, the boy now realized Adam had treated him pretty decently.

As Daniel reflected on that day and how good Adam had been to him, a tinge of guilt ran up and down his spine. Was he selling Adam short now? Would Adam really be as quick to judge as he had imagined when he was sitting in Mr. Hodges office earlier this morning? Not that it mattered that much to Daniel anyway. Whether or not Adam screamed or yelled, or beat him within an inch of his life was not what Daniel was worried about. What he couldn't face was the look of shame and disapproval he was certain that he'd find on Adam's face... Brian's too. The thought of it nearly tore him in two.

Daniel suddenly felt like he was a little kid again. He knew he was acting like one, but- he couldn't help it. He fought hard to hold back the tears that were stinging his eyelids. He was pretty certain that Adam would never, ever forgive him for this. He would be humiliated and Daniel just couldn't stand to know that he had brought that kind of shame on him. Especially after everything Adam had sacrificed for him and his brothers.

Daniel was keenly aware of just what Adam had sacrificed. He and Brian both had tossed their own dreams aside to take care of the family. The older he got, the more guilty he felt about it. He knew how much they loved him, which was what was hurting him the most now. He had really let them down. He figured the least he could do is make them proud... not ashamed.

That was the main reason that he was enjoying playing football so much. He could see how proud they were of him. It shined in their eyes everytime they came to see him play. Football- there was a big game tonight, Daniel suddenly remembered. His heart dropped as he now realized that he would be letting his team down too. Things just kept piling up and Daniel's guilt was becoming unbearable for him.

* * *

Ed Sykes listened intently to the McFadden boys as they told him everything they knew about Daniel's running away from school. He felt really badly for them both. He could see how terrified they were. He imagined he would feel the same way if it were anyone in his family.

"Look boys, Sheriff Turner should be in any minute now. I'm sure he'll make some calls for you, but it's a little early for anything official- like an all points bulletin." Ed began.

"Don't tell us it's too early." Adam said to the deputy, his voice sounding thick and gravelly. He almost didn't recognize it as his own.

"Now Adam, just calm down." Ed replied as he stood to face Adam toe to toe.

"No Ed, listen" Brian began desperately, "He's just a kid and we've gotta find him quick before something happens to him."

"Brian, I understand your concern but it's only been a few hours and he could be right around here somewhere. We should really start with a local search party. We need to make sure he's not close by before we involve other jurisdictions in this." Ed explained.

"Look Ed, I'd like for you to search locally too, but- I really believe that he's on his way to Sacramento. I just know it. How long does he have to be missing before you call other authorities?" Adam asked nervously. He was beside himself now and didn't even try to hide it from the man.

"With a minor, we usually get other jurisdictions involved in twenty four hours. Look, maybe Buck will make some calls sooner, we'll just have to see. But for now, I'm going to get going on a search party. At least we have some good daylight hours to work with. Now, I'll need you two to tell me if he has any favorite haunts. You know, places that he likes to hang out?" Ed asked.

"Our boys don't _hang out_ Ed. When they're not in school, they're at home with us... workin' their butts off to run our ranch. Come on, you know that better than anybody." Brian said, clearly agitated.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Wait a minute... He's friends with my nephew, Mike. Maybe Mike will know something. I'll go over to the school and talk to him. Maybe he can shed some light on all of this." The deputy said.

"Look Ed, I appreciate your helping us but we've got to get going. He could be close to Sacramento already if he hitchhiked. The boy has no money and I told you Crane is on his way home. He won't know what to do when he finds out his brother isn't on campus. I don't even want to think about him alone after dark in a big city with nowhere to go." Adam said desperately. He was trying but failing at keeping his temper in check.

"I know how you feel Adam, but kids his age often confide in their friends more so than family. I really think Mike may be able to help us with this. For that matter, I need to look around campus anyway, just in case he decided to go back to school. You know, they have a big game tonight. I'm sure Daniel would want to play in it. He could be back there already. Maybe you boys should go meet Crane. You can look around Angels Camp. If I were you I'd check the bus depot. Maybe check in at the ticket office and see if anyone matching Daniel's description tried to board a bus." Ed said calmly as he got up from his desk.

"So that's it?" Brian said angrily.

"No, but it's a start. I will get a search party together if he's not at the school and then I'll report this all to Buck- see if he can make some calls to some of the other sheriff's in the area. I promise you boys, we'll do everything in our power to find him." Ed replied sadly. He knew the McFadden boys were a determined lot and wouldn't sit around on their hands and do nothing so he figured he would give them the best advice he could.

"Adam, I think you should find someone to stay at the ranch in case Daniel shows up there while you boys are out looking... someone needs to man the phones there, in case he calls home." Ed said.

"Yeah, Ed you're right. I'll do that." Adam said as he followed the deputy out the door.

* * *

Daniel could see a car up the roadway a little with the hood up. He sized up the young man looking helplessly under the hood. He couldn't be too much older than Crane. He definitely looked younger than Brian and he was dressed rather preppy. Daniel thought he looked conspicuously out of place for this part of the country and definitely looked out of place under the hood of a car.

"Need some help?" Daniel said as he cautiously neared the older boy.

"What? Do I need help from a kid? Shouldn't you be in school or something?" The stranger replied with a grin as he sized up the boy approaching him.

"I'm not a kid." Daniel answered defiantly his hands forming into fists at his sides.

"No? What are you... twelve?" The stranger guffawed.

"I'm fourteen if you must know and I bet I know more about what's under that hood than you do." Daniel replied arrogantly as he stepped up to the car.

"Oh really? Well I guess this is my lucky day then, 'cause I don't know the first thing about what's under my hood. All I know is the darn thing died on me and I don't have a clue as to why." The stranger replied with a kind smile. "Sorry to have offended you... what's your name?"

"Daniel. What's yours?" Daniel asked as he offered the older boy a handshake.

"It's Patrick. I'm glad to meet you Daniel. So, you know my secret. I don't know a thing about car engines." He replied.

"I can take a look. So what happened?" Daniel asked as he began to look under the hood.

"It just stalled out on me. Everything was fine and then she just up and quit. I have plenty of gas, so I'm clueless." Patrick replied sheepishly.

"Ok, I'll check it out for you." Daniel looked things over for a couple of minutes then said, "It looks like you have a crack in a vacuum hose. It needs to be replaced, but if you happen to have some electrical tape or maybe duct tape, I can probably patch it and it should get you to Angels Camp. There's a parts house there and you should be able to buy one pretty cheap." Daniel explained confidently.

Patrick smiled and said "well, I guess you do know about cars. I have some duct tape in the hatchback." Patrick opened the back of his 1972 Camaro and quickly produced a roll of silver duct tape and handed it to Daniel.

Daniel made quick work of patching the hose, then instructed Patrick to try to start the engine. Patrick did so and the engine roared to life on the first try.

"You're my hero Daniel!" Patrick said, laughing enthusiastically. "What do I owe you?" He asked.

"Nothing." Daniel replied, then after a second thought he continued. "Well, maybe a ride?"

"Sure, where ya headed?" Patrick asked.

"Sacramento." Daniel replied.

"Oh yeah? Me too, hop in. We'll stop off in Angels Camp and you can help me put on that new hose since you're the mechanic of this duo." Patrick said as he reached over to unlock the passenger door. Daniel hopped in, feeling grateful that he had now secured a ride to his destination.

Patrick put the car in gear and peeled out, leaving the gravel flying behind them.


	7. Chapter 7

Finding Daniel chapter seven

Mike Seymour walked nervously from his class towards the principals office. He had no idea why he'd been called in. He couldn't think of anything he could be in trouble for, but Mr. Hodges wanted to see him right away. He nervously turned the door knob to the office and stepped in.

"Hi, I'm suppsed to report to Mr. Hodges." He said weakly to the receptionist. He tried not to show her how nervous he was, but his voice pretty much gave him away.

"You're Mike?" The receptionist asked, smiling sweetly.

He nodded his head and she quickly vacated her desk and walked over and knocked on the principals door.

"Come right on in." She said after popping her head in and speaking to Mr. Hodges.

As Mike walked into the office he immediately saw his Uncle Ed. His heart dropped to his feet. His first thought was that something was wrong with his mother.

"Uncle Ed, what's wrong?" He asked, clearly alarmed.

Ed Sykes put his hands on the boys' shoulders and said "it's okay Mike, nothing's wrong with the family and you're not in trouble either."

Mike relaxed a little as he looked into his uncle's eyes.

"What's going on?" He asked again.

"Mike, your uncle tells me your friends with Daniel McFadden." Mr. Hodges said.

"Uh, yeah- we play football together... why?" Mike stammered, still nervous.

"Mike, he had some trouble in Algebra class this morning and he ran away from school. He didn't go home and his brothers are looking for him. They're pretty worried. We were hoping you might know something about where he may be?" Ed Sykes said as he gazed into his nephews eyes.

"Algebra class? No, tell me he didn't-" Mike began but then stopped short. He'd almost asked if his friend had cheated right in front of the principal, but caught himself.

"Didn't what, Mike?" Mr. Hodges asked, concern etched across his brow.

"Nothing, I just- I mean, I'm hoping he didn't fail his test. He was kinda worried about it." Mike lied.

"Son, if you know anything about what's going on with Daniel, I wish you'd tell us. He's really upset and no one's seen him for hours." Ed Sykes appealed to his nephew.

"I don't know anything about where he is, Uncle Ed. Honest to God I don't." Mike replied nervously.

"Okay Mike, we believe you, son. It's just that Daniel is in a bit of trouble and if you know anything that could help us straighten this all out, I need you to speak up." Mr. Hodges pleaded.

Mike's mind was swirling. He could tell that Mr. Hodges was genuinely concerned. He had been told the principal was a fair man. The students all liked him, but he wasn't exactly sure what the man was asking of him. Did it have to do with Doug and that stupid answer key? If not and he spoke on it, he could be opening a whole new can of worms.

"Look, I'm not sure what's going on. I mean, I know Daniel was having trouble with his Algebra, but that's all I know." Mike answered nervously.

"So, did you know Daniel was planning to cheat?" Mr. Hodges asked him pointedly.

_Oh God, Daniel did cheat and had gotten caught._ Mike wanted the floor to swallow him up. How did he respond to the question? He really didn't care whether or not Doug got into trouble, but was it his place to turn him in? He wasn't ready to get involved. He wished he could talk to Daniel first.

"No, I mean... I don't think Daniel would cheat. He's really a good kid, Mr. Hodges." Mike answered carefully.

"Okay Mike, If you say you don't know where Daniel is, that's good enough for me." Ed Sykes replied. He could tell his nephew was holding back, but he felt bad for the boy. He knew this wasn't really fair of them to put him in this position. The cheating thing wasn't his responsibility. As far as Ed was concerned, that was something Daniel would have to face up to, if they could find him. "But I need to find Daniel and I wanted to see if you might have some idea where I should look."

"I really don't know Uncle Ed. I mean, we have a game tonight. I don't think Daniel would run out on the team. I'm sure he'll show up for it." Mike said hopefully.

"It's not that simple, Mike. He's in trouble and I couldn't allow him to play until we clear up this cheating matter. I may have to suspend him." Mr. Hodges said. Mike couldn't help but notice a sense of sympathy in his eyes.

"Well, if he doesn't play in the game, I have no idea where he'd be. We don't really hang out anyplace except at football practice. I mean I give him and Doug a ride in the evenings, but we don't stop anywhere.

"Doug who? Are you talking about Doug Simmons?" Mr. Hodges asked anxiously.

"Yes sir." Mike answered. He watched as Mr. Hodges and his uncle exchanged glances. Both had a look of disapproval that was unmistakable.

"Son, I wish you'd told me you were hanging around with that boy. He's made a lot of trouble in this town... His whole family has."

"Doug's not so bad." Mike said in defense of his friend, all the while knowing he was at the root of this whole mess.

Mr. Hodges was getting an uneasy feeling. If Daniel was hanging out with Doug Simmons, that would explain a lot. Doug had been accused of cheating when he was in Mr. Kramer's class, but nothing could ever be proven. He was never caught, but Mr. Kramer had been suspicious that he didn't exactly earn his A in that class. Mr. Hodges wondered now if that had anything to do with the current situation with Daniel. He was beginning to think that it had to be more than a coincidence.

"Well, you're new here Mike, but I can assure you that he is not the friend I'd choose for you if I had that power. I hope you'll think twice before you continue that friendship. Trust me, he is trouble." Ed Sykes said, trying not to come down on his nephew. He knew kids this age didn't appreciate anyone picking their friends for them. Too, he knew how loyal they could be to each other and how they could turn a blind eye toward's each others shortcomings.

"Yes sir." Mike replied sheepishly. He knew deep down that his uncle was right. There were many times in the last few weeks that Doug had said or done things in front of him that had made him uncomfortable... like suggesting Daniel cheat in Algebra.

"Listen Mike, you head on back to class, but if you hear of anyone knowing anything about Daniel's wherabouts, I want you to let me know immediately. Can you do that?" Mr. Hodges asked.

"Yes sir." Mike replied, then he glanced over at his uncle. "Please find him Uncle Ed. He's my friend."

"I'll do everything I can." Ed said reassuringly.

* * *

Brian watched as his brother Adam walked quickly out of the Murphys hotel. He hoped he had found someone to watch the ranch, because they really needed to get on with their search.

"I got hold of Jan Sutter. She's gonna head over to the ranch now. I told her where to find the spare key. She'll wait by the phone and she also agreed to watch the boys for as long as necessary. I told her that if Daniel shows up, keep him there. I also told her that if he calls, find out exactly where he is and then have him stay put. So, I guess now we'd better head towards Angels Camp." Adam sighed.

"No, Adam. I've just got this feeling in my gut. I'm gonna find a ride back to the ranch and pick up the jeep. I'll follow Murphys Grade Road to Angels Camp and we can meet up at the bus station. We really should check both routes-" Brian began to explain.

"Yeah, I get it. You're probably right. You sure you can find a ride okay?" Adam hesitated as he climbed into the pickup.

"Yeah, it's no problem, I'm good. Adam, if you find him before I do, just watch your temper, huh?" Brian warned.

"Yeah Brian, I will." Adam answered sadly, once again realizing that his famously short fuse like had a lot to do with why they were looking for Daniel right now. He sighed a long, wavering sigh and started the engine, then tore onto Main Street, headed for Route 4.

* * *

It took very little time at all for Patrick and Daniel to fix the camaro. Luckily the parts house in Angels Camp had the needed hose in stock. While Patrick paid for the part, Daniel headed out to put it on the car. He was in a hurry. The more time that passed, the more worried he knew Adam and Brian would become. He realistically knew that Crane would call them as soon as he reached Davis, but Daniel foolishly thought that Crane would be able to tell him how to fix everything before Adam showed up to drag him home.

When Patrick suggested they have some lunch before heading out, Daniel got even more apprehensive. He wanted to get going irregardless of how hungry he was, but he didn't want to tip off Patrick as to just how desperate he was, so he didn't argue. Fortunately, Patrick had yet to ask him too many questions and Daniel would have preferred to keep it that way.

They ate quietly in a cafe on the edge of town. Patrick seemed lost in his own thoughts, which suited Daniel fine. He had plenty of things on his own mind and didn't feel especially chatty.

"That's all you're eatin' kid?" Patrick finally spoke, breaking the silence.

Daniel only had a couple of bucks on him, so he had only ordered a small burger and some water. He knew he needed to keep some pocket change, in case he needed to use a pay phone at some point.

"I'm not real hungry. I ate a big breakfast." Daniel offered quickly.

"Suit yourself, but I'm not planning on stopping between here and Sacramento. I have an interview at five and I can't miss it." Patrick explained.

"A job interview?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Well, sort of- I mean, it's just a bus boy job in bar and grill, but I'm trying to score a gig there too." Patrick explained.

"A gig... you mean like a musical gig?" Daniel piped up, suddenly very interested.

"Yeah. I sing and play guitar. They have an open mic there a couple times a week and they have a pretty inpressive clientelle, so I hear." Patrick replied, smiling.

"Really? I play and sing too." Daniel replied, suddenly realizing Patrick was someone he could really relate to.

"Oh yeah? How do you find time to play music, what with fixing cars and all?" Patrick laughed.

"I just picked up the mechanic stuff from my brother Brian." Daniel replied.

"Wait, I thought you said your brothers name is Crane." Patrick said.

"That's the brother I'm going to see at Davis, but I have six brothers total." Daniel replied.

"Good grief! Seven boys? I bet your Mom is tired!" Patrick exclaimed with a chuckle.

"We don't have parents anymore. They died, it's just us." Daniel replied glumly.

"Sorry kid, I didn't know. So, any sisters... grandparents maybe?" Patrick asked hopefully.

Daniel studied his new acquaintance. He could tell the guy was genuinely sorry. "Nah, just us guys. Look, I don't really want to talk about my family anymore, if you don't mind." Daniel said. He didn't want the conversation to go too far. The less he shared with Patrick the better.

Patrick studied the kid sitting across the booth from him. He was hiding something. Why would a fourteen year old kid be hitchhiking to Sacramento on a day that he should be in school? Knowing now that he had a big family, Patrick was becoming more and more convinced that Daniel was running away from something.

* * *

Adam sat nervously on the park bench as he watched the bus roll to a stop. He had found it nearly impossible to sit there for the last five minutes. He felt as though he should be searching for Daniel and not sitting around on his hands. But, Brian was looking for him at the moment, as was the Murphys sheriff's department. Right now, Adam had to meet Crane. He had to explain to him what was going on... and face his wrath. Once that ordeal was dealt with, he knew Crane would be a big help in searching for their strong willed little brother.

"Hi there!" Crane said enthusiastically as he stepped off the bus. He immediately threw down his duffel and grabbed Adam up into a bear hug. "How are you doing, big brother?"

Adam sighed as Crane let go of him. _Here we go, _he thought to himself as he braced to tell Crane the bad news.

"What is it Adam? Aren't you happy to see me?" Crane asked innocently.

"Crane, we have a problem." Adam said gravely.

_Oh God. I knew something was wrong, I could just feel it._

Crane's thoughts immediately went to worst case scenarios. He instinctively knew he wasn't ready to whatever it was that Adam was about to tell him.

"What is it?" He asked nervously. Crane was studying Adam's body language and he didn't like what he saw. Something was really wrong. He prayed silently to God that no one was sick or hurt.

"Daniel ran off this morning. We think he's headed to Davis. He didn't know you were coming home and-"

Crane broke into Adam's explanation "Adam, why would we do that? Did he take the bus or... or what?" Crane asked, fear now taking hold of his mind and body.

"No, he ran away from school. Our guess is he's hitching, but I'm praying he caught a ride with somebody we know... The sheriff is searching for him around home, but Brian and me are pretty sure he's on his way to Sacramento." Adam explained quietly.

"Adam, I don't understand. I mean, why would he run away from school? This doesn't make any sense." Crane asked.

"Look, Crane. I'll explain all of this to you in the truck, but we need to start asking around town and see if anybody saw the boy come through here.

"How long's he been gone?" Crane asked- no demanded would be a better word. He wanted answers and he wasn't going to let Adam put him off.

"About five hours now. Brian should be here in a few minutes. He's taking the Grade Road into town, hoping he might find him or at least find somebody that's seen him." Adam explained. He could sense the anger and fear radiating off of Crane and though the boy hadn't said anything yet, Adam knew he was already blaming him.

Crane had been very critical in the past of how Adam dealt with Daniel when he was being- well... trying. It would be natural for Crane to blame Adam for all of this. It's what Adam had been dreading all day. But, now wasn't the time to argue. They needed to find the kid first. They only had so much daylight left in the day and dark clouds were gathering and it looked inevitable that they were in for stormy weather.

"I checked inside with the ticketman and he hasn't seen anybody matching Daniel's description trying to board a bus, so I guess we need to check in with the sheriff here. We need to call the sheriff's department back in Murphys too, in case they've found him.

"Wait, let me make a call to my dorm right quick. I'll tell my roommate to be on the lookout for him. Hell, if he's been gone that long, he could be there already. If he's not there, I'll have him put everybody in the dorm on notice. If he shows up, they'll hang onto him for us." Crane said, his voice thick with anxiety.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll wait in the truck." Adam said. He was thankful that at least for the moment, Crane wasn't going to unload his obvious anger on him.

* * *

Brian had gotten a ride with old Silas, the owner of a neighboring ranch. One good thing about small town life, everybody knew everybody and were always willing to give a neighbor a hand.

After checking in briefly with Jan, Brian set out in the jeep, hoping to somehow pick up Daniel's trail. He wasn't sure why, but he just felt as though the kid had taken the road less travelled. He was just praying Daniel had stopped running and maybe had decided to head home.

Brian tried to chase away the thoughts swirling ahead about Mr. Kramer. Back when their parents had died, Brian was devastated. He had wanted to drop out of school because Adam had more on his plate than he could handle and Brian figured quitting was his only option.

Adam had fought him tooth and nail, though, reminding him that his parents had been insistent that all of their boys get a good education. So Brian had reluctantly stayed in school. Mr. Hodges had made a point to work with them, allowing Brian to shift his classes around so that he could come in late on some days and leave early on others. Most of his teachers had done everything they could to make school life a little more manageable for him too... all except for Kramer.

The man acted as though he had it in for Brian from the start. He made it clear to Mr. Hodges, the school counselors and Brian that he had no intention of showing Brian or any other student special favors. He was hard-nosed and had a notorius reputation for only being kind to his best students... the ones who only needed things explained once. He had no patience for those that lagged behind in the learning process, so he definately had no interest in showing partial treatment to a C average student.

Brian had taken it personally and soon found himself hating the guy. He made a point to act out any way he could. He actually understood Algebra pretty well and always seemed to eek out a passing grade on the man's tests.

But, his classroom behavior could be called deplorable. Every prank he could dream up, he played on Kramer. The snake in the desk drawer, tacks in the man's chair... once he even slipped laxatives into the guys morning coffee. It was never proven that he did it, but Kramer knew it was him. Brian had taken a lot of joy in tormenting the man.

Mr. Hodges became very acquainted with Brian's antics and had been forced to punish him numerous times. But, he never made Brian apologize. Brian never quite understood that. He did notice that Mr. Hodges almost seemed amused by his pranks; though he did his best to hide it.

Brian had cringed when Crane landed in his class years later, but Crane never had an ounce of trouble from him. That's when Brian relaxed and decided that the old guy must have let by gones be by gones. So, was Daniel now being treated unfairly for his mistakes? Brian was pretty sure he knew the answer to that question. That made him all the more determined to be the one to find Daniel. He felt responsible somehow for this whole mess. He couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to his little brother because of something he had done.

_God, I'm sorry Dan'l. How could I be such an idiot? I should've known you were having trouble with the man. That's why you were asking me questions about him._

Brian said a silent prayer that God watch over Daniel until he could find him. He knew he had let his brother down and he needed desperately to fix this.


	8. Chapter 8

Finding Daniel chapter eight

After getting back on the road, Patrick began the task of getting Daniel to open up more about himself, hoping to get to the bottom of why he was really going to Sacramento alone.

Daniel had told him all about his life at home with his brothers. It sounded as though the kid came from a loving, close-knit family; things just weren't adding up that he'd be traveling alone.

He noticed that Daniel relaxed a lot more once he'd turned on the radio. Though they had different preferences in music, Daniel preferring Country and Western to Patrick's love of Hard Rock, they settled on a station that played more pop music that both were familiar with. Soon, they were singing and laughing together as they sped down the highway.

"Awe, I love this one." Patrick said as he turned up the volume when 'Kiss You All Over' by Exile came on the radio.

"Yeah, I like it too. It's pretty good." Daniel agreed as he piped in and began singing the lyrics with Patrick.

"You know, this song has real staying power. I bet ten years from now, mathemeticians will have to come up with some fancy formula to figure out how many people lost their virginity to this song." Patrick laughed, noticing immediately that Daniel's demeanor changed.

Daniel had stopped singing and began looking out the window. _I obviously hit a nerve. Does this have something to do with sex?" _Patrick began to wonder. It could explain a lot. The kid was fourteen, just starting high school. Did he maybe have a bad experience with a girl? Patrick decided to try to pry it out of him.

"Can't help but notice you're getting quiet on me, Daniel. If something's bothering you, we can talk about it." Patrick said.

"No. I'm fine, I'm just anxious to see Crane." Daniel lied._ How on earth had music turned to of all things math? _Daniel wondered. He had actually forgotten his troubles for a moment.

"Look it, I've been real respectful of your privacy, but Daniel I've gotta admit something to you." Patrick blurted out.

"What's that?" Daniel asked.

"I'm not really comfortable with any of this. It sounds like you have a great family back home and... I mean, you're just a kid. I don't think I should be taking you away from them. I know they must be worried." Patrick stated, sounding a little more serious than he'd intended. He didn't want to freak the kid out.

"You're not taking me away from family. You're bringing me to family, Patrick. Crane is my family too, and I really need to see him" Daniel sighed. He was feeling guilty enough about Brian and Adam, he didn't need any more guilt heaped upon him right now.

"Look, I'm not blind. You're running away from something at home and I just think if you'd talk to me, I could help. I promise, I'll take you to Crane, but... I would feel better about this if you'd just talk to me about it. Maybe I can help you." Patrick pleaded.

Daniel sat in silence for a couple of minutes. The fact of the matter was, he did want to talk about it. He was starting to have second thoughts about everything anyway. He knew now that he was wrong to run off like he had done... but at the time he'd panicked.

"Okay, I'll talk." Daniel said after a long sigh. He was actually looking forward to getting everything off his chest and besides... he trusted Patrick. He was a sensible guy who reminded him a little of Crane.

* * *

Brian had caught up to Adam and Crane at the sheriff's office in Angels Camp. The sheriff had already gotten a call from Sheriff Turner in Murphys, but listened intently to the McFadden boys as they reiterated the entire story.

"Well, it sounds like you boys pretty much know where he's headed. I think we should probably think about roadblocks between here and Sacramento. I don't care for the idea of a youngster like that out there hitching and I told Sheriff Turner that when I spoke with him. He and I agreed that if we haven't seen or heard from him in the next couple of hours, we should set up some roadblocks in the neighboring areas. We need to get started before it gets dark. We can stop motorists and see if anyone has him in their vehicle or seen him along the road. What I need is a description of your brother and what he was wearing. Also, if he has any birthmarks or scars that could help identify him, we need that too." Sheriff Carter explained.

Adam's blood felt as though it had turned to ice._ Birthmarks or scars? Why would they need to know something like that?_ He instinctively knew the answer to the question; he just couldn't let his mind go there.

He looked helplessly at Brian and Crane. Their faces looked equally as horrified. Adam tried to find his voice, but it was as though it had left him. His tongue was frozen.

"Dan'l has a birthmark behind his left ear. It's reddish brown, looks a little like the boot of Italy." Brian answered soberly. He knew why the sheriff wanted this information; until now he hadn't allowed himself to think the worst.

"Yeah, and he has about a three inch scar across his right knee. He had stitches there a couple of years ago." Crane said, his voice shaking. Clearly, the question had shaken Crane too.

Adam finally found his voice and described the clothing he remembered seeing Daniel wearing at breakfast that morning. Nothing too distinct for this area... Blue jeans, a light blue t shirt, a denim jacket and light brown roper style cowboy boots.

"Okay boys, I'll call Buck and give him all of this. He'll likely go ahead and call the sheriff's in Sutter Creek and Drytown... maybe even Sloughhouse. We won't likely have any luck with Sacramento- not until he's been missing twenty four hours. Once he's considered a missing person, they'll join in, but not before.

"Thanks, Sheriff Carter." Adam said as he shook his hand.

"I'd advise you boys to either go home or stick close by here. I mean, if we find him, we're gonna need to get in touch with you." The sheriff advised.

"Adam, we can't just go home and sit on our hands. One of us should hang out here in case any calls come in from authorities, then the other two should keep looking." Brian said.

"Yeah, I think you're right, Brian. Crane, maybe you could stay here. You should probably call your friend back at the dorm and give him the number to the sheriff's office here, that way if Daniel shows up at Davis, he can get in touch with you right away. Me and Brian can split up and keep searching." Adam said.

"Yeah, okay Adam." Crane said dejectedly. Adam could see how scared the kid was; he thought he might see something else too. Anger maybe? Crane was probably furious with him for his mishandling of Daniel. He supposed they needed to air all of it out now, rather than to do it in front of Daniel later.

"Can I talk to you for just a second, Crane?" Adam asked. Brian took the hint and headed on over to the jeep.

"Yeah, Adam." Crane replied.

"Look, I can imagine you're pretty ticked at me. I'm sorry all of this happened. I don't know why Daniel is so afraid of me. I try-" Adam said before Crane cut him off.

"Look Adam. I'm just worried. I know this isn't your fault, anymore than it's Brians fault because of what happened with him and Mr. Kramer. This... this is on Daniel. There's no sense in blaming each other. Truth is, I've been blaming myself for some of it. I just knew he was gonna have trouble once I left him. I let him get too dependent on me." Crane said miserably.

"Hey, let's not do this, huh? Blaming ourselves or each other isn't gonna help the situation. Fact is, we both let him get too dependent on you... and I'm too hard on him sometimes. I don't really know why I do it. Seems like it's a little easier for me with the younger ones. I've been their parent longer than mom and dad were. Daniel's just... just-"

"Complicated?" Crane finished Adam's sentence with a small grin.

"Yeah. He was still young when they died, but he can remember what it was like to have _good_ parents." Adam replied.

"Don't say that Adam. You and Brian _are _good parents. It's just that you're our big brothers too. For Daniel... well, I don't know, he just wants to please you both... make you proud. That's all it is. He worships you both so much... your like heroes to him. He just wants you to always be proud of him." Crane explained. "Can you remember feeling that way about Dad?

"Yeah, I think I do. Funny, I don't feel much like anyone's hero these days. But, Daniel and me are gonna sit down when all of this is over and come to some sort of understanding. I've got to convince him that he can talk to me when he's in trouble." Adam sighed. "And I have to learn how to listen and not be so quick to judge."

"Go find him _Dad." _Crane said with a smirk as he punched Adam in the arm. He was relieved to see Adam letting himself off the hook a bit. Now if he could figure out how to let himself off the hook.

"Yeah." Adam agreed and reached out to bring Crane in for a quick hug.

As Adam walked away, Crane yelled after him. "And talk to Brian, would ya? He's blaming himself too."

Adam waved his hand in the air to let Crane know he'd handle it.

* * *

After telling Patrick the whole story, Daniel felt some of the weight he'd been carrying around all day lift a little. Patrick had listened to him intently and not said a word. He figured the guy would think of him as a big baby, but he didn't care. At this point, all he wanted was to figure out how to fix everything he'd screwed up.

"Look Daniel. I'm not gonna lie and tell you I have all the answers, but I don't think Crane will have them either. I think you are going to have to fix this yourself. First off, you need to go home. Your family is likely worried sick about you and that's not going to help your situation. You're gonna have to stop leaning on Crane and figure things out for yourself. You're a good kid that's caught in a bad situation, but I have to believe that if you go back and face your mistakes, everything will work out okay." Patrick said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey Patrick?" Daniel said weakly. "You think you could drop me off at the next pay phone we come across? I think I need to call home."

"No problem." Patrick said as a smile broke out across his face.

They pulled in to a park just outside of Drytown and Daniel got out of the car. He walked slowly up to the payphone and took a deep breath. After turning around to glance at Patrick, who gave him a smile and an encouraging nod, he picked up the receiver.

Daniel knew he could call collect, but he knew the family couldn't really afford extra charges on their phone bill. No, this was a call he wanted to pay for himself. He was already feeling like a little kid and thought that maybe paying for this call may just make him feel a little better about how badly he'd screwed up everything. Patrick had offered him some money for the call, but he had refused, saying he had enough.

Daniel listened nervously as the phone rang. On the fifth ring, Daniel was surprised to hear a female's voice answer the line.

"Hello? Is this the McFadden residence?" Daniel asked, confused.

"Yes it is. Um, is this Daniel?" Jan Sutter asked excitedly. She had heard Daniel's voice many times, but he was usually happy and lighthearted; this voice sounded troubled, but then again, with all the events of the day, she figured he had a right to sound troubled.

"Yes ma'am. Who is this?" He asked. The voice was familiar, but he couldn't quite place her.

"Daniel, it's Mrs. Sutter. Are you okay? Where are you?" She asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. Can I speak to Brian or Adam?" He asked nervously.

"Sweetheart, they're out looking for you. I need you to tell me where you are, honey. Someone can come and get you." Jan replied.

"Oh, I'm... I'm on my way home. Can you, uh, can you just tell them I'm okay and I'm on my way home?" Daniel stammered. His mind was whirling. He should have known they'd be looking for him, but he wasn't thinking. Suddenly, all he wanted was to get home and see his brothers. He wanted to explain himself to both Adam and Brian and apologize for everything he'd done.

"Honey, you need to tell me where you are, Adam will want to come and get you-" Jan began to argue.

"No, there's no need Mrs. Sutter. I can get home myself. Just please, please tell my brothers not to worry. Tell them I'm fine." Daniel answered. He just felt that he needed to prove to them that he was old enough to get himself home; that he didn't need his big brothers coming to rescue him.

Jan Sutter started to continue the argument with Daniel, but the operator interrupted the line and asked him to insert another fifty cents to continue the call. Daniel was out of change and was actually glad of that, it made it easier for him to end the conversation.

"Mrs. Sutter, I'm out of change, just tell them I should be home tonight... tomorrow morning at the latest." Daniel said before the call was disconnected. He hung up the reciever and made his way back to Patrick's car.

"Did you talk to them?" Patrick asked hopefully.

"Sure did." Daniel lied. "I'm gonna ride on in to Drytown if you don't mind. My brothers can pick me up there." He continued, a bit surprised at how easily the lie rolled off of his tongue.

"Sure, Daniel." Patrick agreed as he started the engine and got back on the highway. "Drytown it is."

Jan Sutter called sheriff Turner's office as soon as she hung up the phone. She told him everything she knew... which wasn't much unfortunately.

"No sir, he didn't tell me where he was. I suppose he already has a ride home because he said he was on his way home." She answered worriedly. She knew she'd done all she could, but she felt as though she'd let the McFadden's down. "If he calls back, I'll be sure to let you know right away and I'll try to get more information out of him." She said to the sheriff. "Please, tell Adam that I'm sorry and that I really tried, but he didn't give me much of a chance. But tell him he sounded fine." The sheriff thanked her for the information and promised her he would pass her message on to Adam.

* * *

"I don't like it either, Ed but the kid didn't give us anything else to go on. We're just gonna have to wait it out." Buck Turner said as Ed Sykes voiced his displeasure at not knowing Daniel's wherabouts or who he was with.

"Look, can we at least keep the roadblocks up until he shows up? I mean, just in case? If he plans to be home tonight, then he's probably still between here and Sacramento. Just because he called and said he was coming home, doesn't mean he's safe. He could be with a stranger and not even realize he's in danger."

"I have to notify the other sheriff's that we've involved in this and let them know what I know. I'm okay with keeping my personnel out there, but that's gonna be up to them as to whether they want to keep their manpower on this. You know that, Ed." Sheriff Turner replied.

"Yeah, I know. But for all we know, the kid is still running away. He may just be trying to throw us off of his trail. " Ed replied. "What if he saw a roadblock and this is his way of convincing us not to look for him?" He still had a bad feeling about it all. Something didn't seem quite right. If Daniel had wanted to come home, why wouldn't he have asked for someone to come get him? It didn't add up.

"I doubt he saw any roadblocks. Everybody is just now getting set up. But, I suppose it is a slight possibility. I will pass our concerns on to the other jurisdictions. They may be willing to keep looking for him. I'll do what I can." Sheriff Turner said. "I'd better get on the horn to them all. I'm calling Angels Camp first, see if they can let the McFadden's know we've heard from him."

"Thanks Sheriff." Ed replied. "I'm gonna get back out there. We've pretty much exhausted the local search, but I'm gonna head back out to the highway and help with our roadblock." He said.

"Yeah, you do that." Buck replied. "Don't worry so much, Ed. He called and we know he's okay for the moment. This is good news." The sheriff said, smiling.

"Yeah, I guess." Ed replied. He still had a bad feeling.

* * *

Crane couldn't make any sense of what he was being told. Daniel called and said he was coming home, but gave them no information as to where he was or who he was with? This was crazy.

"Come on sheriff. Didn't Jan tell him how worried we are?" Crane said, his voice sounding every bit as hysterical as he felt.

Crane had spoken with his roommate numerous times in the last few hours but no one there had seen Daniel. Crane couldn't understand any of this. Did Daniel somehow make it to Davis without being seen and find out that Crane was in Murphys? No, that couldn't be it. The only way for him to find out Crane wasn't there was to speak to someone at the dorm. All of his dorm mates had been alerted and still, no one had seen the boy.

"Where was Adam the last time he checked in with you? Have you heard from Brian yet?" Crane was spitting out questions faster than Sheriff Carter could answer them.

John Carter had been the sheriff of Angels Camp for the better part of fifteen years. He knew the whole story of the McFadden boys, just like everybody else in this part of the country did. In fact, he had known their father. Adam McFadden Sr. was an honest, hardworking, reliable man. The sheriff had no doubt that the same could be said of his boys' too. He felt really badly for them all and knew they were scared to death. He was being very understanding of the state Crane was in. He had two sons of his own and he'd be every bit as worried if it were one of them.

"Adam is over in Sutter Creek. The sheriff there was putting some men out on the highway to stop motorists and he asked Adam to help them with their search. As for Brian, I think he's still here in town. He's asking around to see if anyone saw him today. Crane, try to settle down. It's good that we know he's okay for the time being and with everybody looking, we're gonna find him and get him home safe. Can you trust me on this?"Sheriff Carter pleaded.

"Yes sir. I just wish there was more I could do-" Crane began.

"Son, you're doing everything you can. Keeping in touch with the campus is the best thing you can be doing for us right now. At least we know Daniel is okay and if he's heading home, we'll find him. If he's still heading to Davis, you're friends will find him and call us. We have everything covered." The sheriff said.

"Okay, okay." Crane replied, running his hands through his thick hair. He knew the man was right, but he still felt helpless.

* * *

Brian had failed to find anyone that claimed to have seen Daniel in Angels Camp. He had decided to check with the Angels camp deputies out on Route 4 that were setting up a roadblock. It was there that he had been told of Daniel's call home. He knew he should feel relieved but instead all he felt was more frustrated. _Why didn't I go back to the ranch? If I'd taken that call, I'd have gotten to the bottom of where the boy is and who he's with._ He knew it was useless of course to second guess the situation, but he couldn't help it.

He had been told that both Crane and Adam had been notified about Daniel's call. Now, he had to decide whether he should stay in Angels Camp, or head back to the ranch. He figured with Crane here and Adam in the next town over, he'd best head back to Murphys. If Daniel came home, one of them needed to be there. He stopped by the sheriffs office and checked in with Crane and sent word to Adam that he was going to wait for Daniel at the ranch.

The drive home seemed ten times longer than it actually was. Brian kept thinking about the things he'd done to Mr. Kramer and how it all had likely led to this mess. He tried not to feel hard against the teacher in all of this, but he couldn't help himself. He would tear the guys head off if anything happened to his little brother.

Mr. Kramer had been nothing but a jack ass to Brian when their parent's had died. Back then he'd been a scared, grieving kid with way too much responsibility heaped upon him and for a teacher to be so unconcerned about him... well, it had hurt. It had hurt a lot. Brian lashed out at him the only way he knew how. He'd set out the whole year to humiliate the man. He wanted the guy to hurt every bit as badly as he hurt.

He could see now that he'd handled it badly, but at the time, he felt justified in his actions. Mr. Hodges had let a lot of his behavior slide and had never made Brian apologize... he had suggested it, but never forced it. Brian had been surprised about it, but he was relieved about it back then. He couldn't have imagined actually telling that man he was sorry. The fact of the matter was, he wasn't sorry... until now. If anything happened to Daniel because of his stupidity back then- Brian just didn't know what he would do. _Please, please, please God. Watch over my brother. Bring him home to us safe and sound._ Brian prayed like he'd never prayed before.


	9. Chapter 9

Finding Daniel chapter nine

Daniel and Patrick made it into Drytown shortly after he had made the call home. Daniel told Patrick that he was supposed to wait for his brothers at a place called Maggie's Diner.

Daniel couldn't help but remember the first time he had been in the place. When he was about seven years old, his dad had let him ride with him to Sloughhouse to pick up a part for their tractor. On the way home, they had stopped in and his dad had ordered them both a banana split. It was a special moment for Daniel, not just because it was his first banana split, but because it was the only time he could remember having real one on one time with his father. Adam Sr. was always so busy running the ranch and with seven boys and a wife, there was usually always someone else around.

This particular day had seemed nearly perfect to Daniel. The only thing he could remember that was wrong with the entire day, is that it had come to an end. He couldn't help but smile as he walked into the diner now. That father and son bonding time was so very special to Daniel, both in the moment and forever afterward. At the time, Daniel had no idea that it would be the last time he would go anywhere alone with his father.

"Well, somebody's in a better mood." Patrick observed.

"Yeah, I've always liked this place." Daniel replied.

Patrick looked around. It didn't look like much to him, but then again, he had grown up a military brat and had been all over the world. He figured with Daniel being from a place as small as Murphys, it would take a lot less to impress him.

"Look, I'd feel better if I wait with you. How long do you figure it will take your brothers to get here?" Patrick asked.

"No, you don't have to wait. They won't be long and I don't want you to miss your interview because of me." Daniel stated emphatically. He had to get rid of Patrick so he could catch a ride back home.

"Daniel, I don't know... I could still make it-" Patrick began.

"No Patrick. I can't let you miss it. I'll be fine. They'll be right along. I'm just gonna wait for them here." Daniel replied.

"Well... okay. But you don't even have any money. Please, at least take this." Patrick said as he offered Daniel a couple of dollars.

"It's not much, but at least you can have a bite to eat while you wait." He said insistently.

Daniel didn't want to take his money, but he could see the determination in his eyes and figured it would make Patrick feel a bit less uneasy if he just accepted it.

"Okay Patrick. Thank you, I appreciate it... I appreciate everything you did for me. You're a real good guy." Daniel said as he accepted the money.

"You don't owe me any thanks, Daniel. You fixed my car, now we're square." Patrick said with a smile. "Look, just remember what I said Daniel. Just face this thing head on and everything will work out okay."

"Yeah, I will. Good luck with the job Patrick. I hope you and that guitar make lots of money!" Daniel said with a smile.

"Yeah, that makes two of us." Patrick replied as he shook Daniel's hand and turned to leave. "And hey- you keep practicing. Maybe one day we'll both make it big." He said with a wink and walked out the door.

"I will." Daniel said as he waved goodbye. He stood looking out the door as Patrick drove off. He suddenly had a chill come over him. Patrick had been sort of a lifeline for Daniel today. He felt safe with him... kind of like he always felt when he was with his brothers. Once again, he was alone. His family didn't know where he was and all he had was two dollars and his two legs to get himself home... well those and his thumbs. He figured he'd better start walking again. This time, he wasn't running _from_ home; he was running _to _home.

* * *

Brian sat staring at the phone, willing it to ring. The waiting was killing him. He watched his younger brothers, mulling around. They hadn't been told the whole truth, just that Daniel was having a problem and Adam was off helping him with it.

This was all so wrong. They should all be getting ready for Daniel's football game. They should be enjoying the surprise of having Crane at home for the first time in over a month. Evan interrupted his thoughts saying "Hey, how come we're not going to the game? Isn't Daniel playing tonight?"

"No Evan, he's not playing tonight." Brian replied glumly. He had sent Jan home, thanking her for all of her help. She had made a stew for them to eat later for supper. Brian almost wished she hadn't. His having to cook supper might actually make the waiting easier. As it was, he was trying to not upset the young ones about Daniel, but he was having a hard time covering up his concern.

"Brian, why are you inside? You're usually outside unless you're cooking? Why do you keep looking at the phone?" Ford asked curiously.

"Yeah, and why isn't Daniel playing tonight? Did he get hurt or something?" Evan chimed in. He could tell the boys were onto him. They sensed his worry. He supposed it was time to come clean.

"Look, Dan'l is upset about some stuff that's going on at school. He ran off to try and see Crane, but now he's supposed to be on his way home. I'm just worried cause I'm not sure who he's with. But, I know he'll be here soon, so I don't want y'all to worry, okay?" Brian said.

"So where's Adam?" Ford asked, worriedly.

"He's helping the sheriff look for Dan'l." Brian answered.

"The sheriff? But, if Daniel's on his way home, why is Adam and the sheriff looking-" Evan began, but Brian snapped on him.

"Look, I'm not in the mood to play twenty questions. I told y'all not to worry, so just go and do your chores now!" Brian yelled.

Evan and Ford recoiled in shock. It wasn't unlike Brian to fly off the handle, but he was unusually short this time, especially since they were only showing concern for a sibling.

"Brian, what did we do wrong?" little Guthrie asked innocently.

Brian looked at the three of them. He hoped the look on his face showed them how sorry he was for losing his temper. Apologies were not exactly his strong suit, but he knew he had to offer up some kind of explanation for sounding so mean this time. They were just kids, after all. "Look fellas. I'm just a little upset right now and I'm sorry I snapped at ya. The truth is, Daniel called and said he was on his way back here, but I'm just gonna worry until I lay eyes on him. But y'all let me do the worrying okay?" Brian pleaded, sounding a bit more desperate than he'd intended. "Now, I what I need each of you to do is take care of your chores. I can't supervise you today 'cause I need to listen for the phone. Can you do that for me?" Brian asked.

"Sure Bri. We'll take care of everything." Evan said quietly. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but he sensed there was a lot more to the story than what Brian had told them. He wasn't about to press him on it though. When Brian was worried, he could get mighty ornary and Evan didn't want to make things worse by bothering him with a bunch of nosy questions. When one of his big brothers said things would be okay, they usually were. Still, Evan couldn't help but wish that Adam were here. Adam was a bit more controlled and level headed than Brian in a crisis.

* * *

Daniel had left the diner, but not before asking the waitress to change the bills Patrick had given him into quarters. He figured if he didn't catch a ride soon, he should at least have change on hand in case he did have to call home again.

He didn't figure it would be any trouble to hitch a ride back to Murphys. When he left, he was trying to avoid seeing anyone he knew. But now, he was pretty sure he would come across someone he knew heading into Murphys now that he wasn't hiding anymore.

What he hadn't figured on was the weather turning bad. He hadn't even thought about the weather when he'd run off today. He was now vaguely remembering the news report from the prior evening. The weatherman had hinted at a stormy weekend. He now remembered his worrying last night about whether or not the ball game was going to be played in the rain. _The ball game. Wow, a day ago that was the biggest thing on my mind... well that and my stupid Algebra test. Man, I screwed up everything._ He thought to himself. Thinking of it all now made him sick to his stomach... again. He had royally screwed things up this time. It was going to be hard facing everyone back home... especially Adam.

The flash of lightning followed by a thunderous boom pulled Daniel out of his thoughts. No sooner had he looked up to take in the sky above him, the rain began to fall. Actually, fall was an understatement. The heavens opened up and it began to pour. Daniel stared down the road ahead of him, then looked behind him. It was a little more than a mile back to Drytown and Sutter Creek was about five miles ahead. There wasn't a car in sight. Daniel pulled his denim jacket tighter around him as he turned his collar up and continued to walk. He figured turning back would do him no good. He was already as wet as he could be, so he may as well keep heading in the direction of home.

As the weather continued to deteriorate, Daniel decided it would be best to try to get a little shelter from it. The lightning could be dangerous, especially with all the tall trees surrounding him on either side of the roadway. He couldn't ignore the fact that the temperature had dropped dramatically too. The cold rain had saturated his clothes and he felt himself beginning to shiver from the cold.

He chose to take shelter under a picnic table at a roadside park. It wasn't much of a park, really. A couple of old barbeque pits and tables was all there was to it. There wasn't even a bathroom to wait in, so the table would have to do. Daniel hunkered down under it and hoped to wait out the storm.

Once again, a memory from when he was a little boy came to mind. It was the same trip he had taken with his father all those years ago to buy the tractor part. Until today, he hadn't even realized just how many memories he had held onto about his father from that one single day.

They were listening to the radio on the drive back home and a Charley Pride song had come on the radio. Daniel commented on the lyrics and was immediately pleased when his father had engaged in a conversation with him.

The song was Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone and Daniel looked up at his father and asked, "Dad, why would anybody say that's better than home?" Daniel asked curiously.

"What's better than home?" his father had asked him, eyebrows raised.

"You know,_ sleeping under a table in a roadside park, a man could wake up dead. But it sure feels warmer than it did, sleepin' in our king sized bed._ He already said he's in the rain. How could it be better if he's wet and cold and sleeping on the ground? Wouldn't a warm bed at home be better?" Danny asked quizzically.

"Oh Danny-boy. I can see already you're gonna be a lyricist some day." His father laughed.

"A what?" Daniel asked with a smile. It always made him happy to see his father smile.

"A songwriter. Most kids your age just sing along to these grown up songs. They don't usually pay so much attention to the words or wonder about what they mean." Adam Sr. explained as he tousled Daniel's hair. "Yep, you're a lot like Crane in that respect, Danny. He's already writing songs and I'll bet one day, you'll be writing them too."

"Oh." Daniel replied nonchalantly. He wasn't so much interested in pondering his future as a songwriter. He still had too many questions about the song he was currently hearing. "So, why would he feel that way, Daddy?" Daniel continued.

"Well, probably good old fashioned stubborn pride. We men are full of that sometimes." His father replied.

"I still don't get it. What's he proud of?" Daniel asked.

"Well, Danny boy, maybe this fella had a fallin' out with his woman. He likely walked out on her after a fight and now he's too proud to go home and admit he was wrong. Pride can make us do some pretty dumb things... McFadden pride is especially bad. You remember I told you that, son. Sometimes you just gotta swallow that old pride and admit that you messed things up and then work at fixin' it. That's what the fella in this song hasn't figured out yet... he's still runnin' from his problems." Adam Sr. explained.

"Oh, but what if he wasn't wrong?" Daniel asked seriously.

"Two reasons I know he was wrong. Number one, he fought with a woman, so he's automatically wrong. Number two, he's wet and cold and sleeping under a roadside table. People who are right don't end up in such strange places." Adam Sr. laughed again.

Daniel didn't ask anymore questions, but he had chewed on his dad's answers for several miles. To this day, every time he heard that old song, he would feel all warm inside, because he remembered so well, this moment with his father.

How horribly ironic was this? Daniel shook his head as he remembered his dad's words. _People who are right don't end up in such strange places. _Boy, his father sure had that right. Daniel had been one hundred percent wrong all day, and look where he was now? In the same spot as that fella from the song... literally. He just had to get home. He couldn't let his own McFadden pride stand in the way of making things right, not only with Adam and the family, but at school too. And he had to let his brothers see that he was okay. He wished that there was a phone booth around here, but he scanned the little stop off spot and saw nothing more than trees surrounding it. It was as primitive as it could be. He was going to have to stick to his original plan at this point- find himself a ride... maybe once he got down the road a ways, he would find a phone and call home. Surely he could find a phone somewhere.


	10. Chapter 10

Finding Daniel chapter ten

Adam was trying with all his might to tamp down the fear rising from his gut. He knew that just a few hours ago, Daniel had called and at that point he had said he was fine.

He had also said that he was on his way home. But just how was he getting home? Who was he with? He prayed Daniel was with someone they knew.

Adam searched his mind but couldn't think of any friends or neighbors who might be returning to Murphys from that direction today.

Hadn't Ed and the sheriff already told him they'd spoken with everybody in Murphys and pretty much everyone was accounted for and furthermore, no one had seen or heard anything about Daniel? He sincerely hoped that they had overlooked somebody.

All of Daniel's friends at school were accounted for, so he hadn't gotten a ride with any of them. This just didn't make any sense.

He ran off without a word to anyone and now, he just suddenly changed his mind and was coming back without making it to Davis? Or had he made it to Davis and Crane's friends there had just missed him somehow?

There were just too many questions and no one had any answers. Adam felt that he had to do something, even if it was just to help man the roadblock outside of Angels Camp.

He had called home and an anxious Brian had answered the phone. Obviously from the disappointment in Brian's voice, Adam was not the brother Brian had hoped to hear on the other end of the line.

Daniel had not called home again nor had he showed up there yet.

This standing around and waiting was just about to drive Adam insane. He hated feeling helpless, but at the same time he was completely out of ideas of how to find his brother.

The police had this now and they had reassured him that they would leave no stone unturned until they had found Daniel and brought him home.

Adam got the sense that they weren't too worried and all felt the boy would turn up on his own. _Please God, just let Daniel be alright. I promise I'll do a better job of raising him from now on if you just let_ _him be alright_. Adam was praying to God, but at this point he figured he was ready to sell his soul to the Devil if it meant bringing Daniel home safely.

But as little as it seemed, all Adam could think to do right now was to help with the roadblock. "Sheriff, have you heard from the other jurisdictions? Are they keeping in contact with your department?" Adam asked worriedly.

He studied the man in front of him. Sheriff Davis didn't appear too worried as far as Adam could tell although he did sense that the man seemed pretty compassionate.

Adam had decided he liked this guy better than their sheriff in Murphys. Not that Adam had anything against Buck Turner. The guy was doing a great job of searching for Daniel. Ed had reassured Adam of that.

There was just something that rubbed Adam the wrong way when it came to Buck. He couldn't put a finger on it, he just always seemed a little too smooth for Adam's liking. He had always shrugged it off as the politician in the guy.

But sheriff Davis, well he seemed completely genuine to Adam. It was little comfort right now, what with Adam scared out of his mind, but somehow it still felt somewhat reassuring to see genuine concern in the man's eyes.

"Adam, we are communicating with everyone on a regular basis. All the area roadblocks are set up now and everyone that comes through are being thoroughly questioned. If anyone has given your brother a ride, talked to him, or even seen him anywhere, we'll find out about it.

"What about the pictures we gave you? Have they been distributed? Do I need to get some more pictures and-"

"We have all the pictures we need, son. Just try and relax. All the law enforcement that are looking for him has a picture and a complete description of your little brother, I promise." Sheriff Davis said with a comforting smile as patted Adam on the back and Adam appreciated the gesture. He knew he was trying to reassure him. Too bad it wasn't working. Adam's mind kept wondering and some pretty scary scenario's were playing out in his head.

Daniel was a smart kid, but he knew he was in trouble and he was likely pretty scared. That was the part that bothered Adam the most. Sure, he was likely afraid of facing things at the school, but more than that, Adam realized that Daniel was mostly afraid of him. There was no other reason for him to have run off like he had... trying to take his problems to Crane because he trusted him more.

He sure wished at times like this that he could talk to his father. Heck, he wished his father were still here. Then he wouldn't have to worry about screwing up the lives of his younger brothers.

One thing Adam always had growing up was a father he trusted and trusted completely. He now wondered what he would have to do to earn Daniel's trust. How is it that he didn't already have Daniel's trust? Where had he gone so wrong?

Daniel had always been difficult but at the same time, he was a really good kid and an awesome brother. Loyal, caring, understanding; It was just that his emotions ran deep and Adam couldn't always connect with him as well as he wanted. Thankfully, Crane was always around to pull back the complicated layers that made up Daniel.

Adam supposed now that Crane had been right to worry as much as he had about leaving Daniel to go off to college. Adam now felt foolish to think he could handle the complexities that made up his middle brother without Crane there to help. He had failed miserably with Daniel.

But with six siblings to raise, he had always been in over his head and it was almost all he could do just to keep clothes on their backs and food on the table. Dealing with emotional turmoil had never been Adam's strong suit. He had enough trouble working out his own demons, much less those of his brothers.

Brian was complicated too, but at least he had been raised to the age of fifteen with two good parents. Adam had never really felt at fault for Brian and his mistakes. Crane had seemed like an adult as far back as Adam could remember. Crane rarely made mistakes and when he did, he generally fixed his problems for himself.

But from Daniel on down, Adam felt solely responsible for everything his brothers did wrong. Daniel and Evan were proving to be quite a handful and Adam was pretty sure he had plenty to do with that. It was one thing to teach them all how to work hard and safely run a cattle ranch, but to deal with strong willed, hot tempered little brothers was as daunting as climbing Mount Everest. Especially for a man as young as Adam McFadden. At times like this, he longed for his parents. He felt like a lost little boy and he hated that feeling more than anything.

* * *

Misery, thy name is Daniel. He knew he needed to get moving but the rain kept falling. It was raining harder than ever and the wind had begun to pick up now too.

There was a noticeable chill in the air now, too. It wasn't a surprise, after all, it was nearly October so cold fronts were not unusual for northern California. Still, the timing of this one was just another indicator to Daniel that he had really messed up things in a big way.

He was hoping the rain would lighten up a little so he could start walking. At least if he were being active, it might not seem so cold.

Daniel could feel his eyes growing heavy, though. Being cold always made him sleepy. Add rain into the mix and sleep seemed nearly inevitable, but he knew it would be the worst possible thing he could do right now. The chill would just set in worse, not to mention he'd burn up precious moments left of daylight. As he sat there under the table, he longed to be at home in his own bed.

He had hated that room ever since Crane had moved to the dormitory at Davis, but right now, he would relish being there. He'd like nothing more than to be tucked under his patchwork quilt on his soft mattress, with or without his brothers' company.

* * *

Daniel wasn't quite sure how long he'd been asleep, but he awoke startled by the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

"Hey kid. What'cha doin' out here all by yourself?" The strange voice asked.

Daniel blinked twice and rubbed at his eyes, as his lids were heavy both with sleep and moisture from the rain. It was then that he saw the stranger who had been speaking to him. He was a tall, large framed guy. His clothes were casual. A sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers peeked out from underneath a yellow rain slicker. He had a stubbly beard, as though it wasn't an intended one, rather he just hadn't shaved in a few days. He noticed the stranger's eyes were brown. Something about the way he was looking at Daniel though, made a small shiver run down his spine.

It felt strange, somehow. He couldn't really explain why, something about the guy's presence just made him feel a bit uneasy. He had always been taught to be leary of strangers, but at the moment, he figured he should be thankful to see anybody. Besides, Patrick had been a stranger to him and had ended up being a good friend.

"I uh, I was just... just gettin' out of the rain." Daniel stammered.

"From the looks of ya, you got out of it a little late." The stranger replied with a hearty laugh as he extended a hand out to help Daniel crawl out from under the table.

"Thanks." Daniel muttered as he raised himself to his feet. "Yeah, I kinda got caught in a storm."

"Yeah, I'd say storm is an understatement. It's been raining cats and dogs for miles. You got a name?" The stranger suddenly asked, then continued. "Mine's Hal. My mother named me Harold, but I don't much care for it, so I just ask most folks to call me Hal." He explained with a smile.

Daniel eyed the guy again. He seemed friendly enough so he let his earlier skepticism slide out of his mind. He noticed the man's station wagon behind him and figured this was his best chance at a ride. Before falling asleep, he hadn't seen one car pass him by.

"Hi Hal. My name's Daniel." Daniel smiled.

"Mind sharing with me what you're doing out here all by yourself in the middle of nowhere?" Hal asked with a smile.

"I'm on my way home." Daniel replied.

"Where's home?" Hal asked.

"Murphys. You wouldn't happen to be going that way, would ya?" Daniel asked hopefully. Judging from the way the car was parked, Daniel had assumed the man had been heading east. He hoped that were true.

"Yep, I'm heading through there. Wasn't planning on stopping, but I suppose I could give you a lift." Hal said.

Daniel felt relieved. Even though the rain had almost stopped now, he was cold and wet and it would be dark before long. With the clouds above them still threatening to spill again at any time, a ride couldn't have come along at a better time.

"Gee thanks. I really, really appreciate it, Mister." Daniel replied.

"Drop the mister stuff kid and just call me Hal." Hal replied while reaching out and mussing Daniel's hair.

With three older brothers, Daniel was quite used to guys mussing up his hair, but somehow he didn't like the feeling when Hal did it. He figured it was because he didn't know the guy. He nonchalantly ducked his head away from the man's hand. The guy didn't seem to take offense to it. Daniel sighed a little sigh of relief. He didn't want to make his rescuer mad, nor did he want to seem ungrateful. He really needed this guy to help him.

"I wish I could offer you some dry clothes, but I haven't got any. I think I have an old blanket in the back, though. Why don't you take that wet jacket off and we'll put the blanket over ya. I'm sorry, but my heater's busted in the car, but we'll do what we can to warm you up. I got some cold cuts and bread back there too. Can I offer you a sandwich? Puttin' something in your belly might help you to warm up." Hal asked.

His voice was kind of jolly. Daniel figured he was friendly enough, but he really didn't have any interest in eating his food. He just wanted to get home.

"Nah, I'm not hungry." Daniel replied politely.

"No, you sure?" Hal said as he gestured towards the back of his station wagon. "How about a soda then?"

Daniel thought for a second. He was thirsty. Heck he was hungry too, but he still wasn't interested in taking the guys food. "Sure, I'd love a soda." Daniel replied with a little hesitantly. He flashed the guy his most winning smile in an attempt to show his gratitude. He wished like anything that it were a thermos full of cocoa or coffee, but he'd take what he could get.

Daniel got in the passenger side of the car and took off his wet, denim jacket. The interior of the car was vinyl, so at least his wet clothes wouldn't ruin the car seat. The car wasn't in very good shape, but Murphys wasn't that far down the road, so Daniel figured the wagon would get them there. At least if they had engine trouble, Daniel knew about working on engines. Not that working on a car on the side of the road again sounded that appealing. Especially with the rain threatening again.

After observing the car and not noticing anything particularly interesting, Daniel turned his attention to the back glass. This Hal fellow was taking a long time to grab a blanket and a soda. Oh well, Daniel figured he was making himself a sandwich or something. He waited quietly in the front seat for his driver to return to the car.

"Here you go, Dan. Can I call you that?" Hal asked with a smile.

"Sure, if you'd like." Daniel answered. He didn't really care what the guy called him. He had never liked folks calling him Danny because it made him feel like a little kid. Only Adam and sometimes Crane called him Danny since their parents had died.

Brian liked calling him Dan'l, but no one had ever really called him Dan before. As long as this guy kept his promise of giving Daniel a ride to Murphys, he figured he could call him anything he wanted.

"Good. Dan it is. So, what's your story?" Hal asked as he pulled out onto the roadway. " My radio's busted, so I'm afraid conversation will be our only entertainment on this ride." Hal explained.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders as he took a sip of the soda and pulled the blanket up over his shoulders. It was a ratty old blanket. It looked like an old Army issue blanket, but it was full of holes. Daniel was hoping it would be thick and warm, but he figured it was better than nothing. He could feel his body trembling from the cold and prayed the blanket would begin to provide him some warmth.

"I'm just on my way back from visiting my brother in Sacremento." Daniel lied. He wasn't about to let his new friend know he was a runaway. He figured the guy would be more hesitant to get involved if he sensed that Daniel was trouble of any kind.

"Oh yeah? So you have a brother in Sacremento and your folks are in Murphys?" Hal asked.

Daniel still found it hard to cope when people asked him about his parents. Of course this guy would assume he had parents. Didn't most fourteen year olds have parents after all? Still, he didn't like the reminder that he was different from most kids his age, or that he was an orphan. He took another quick swig of his soda and then blew out a big breath.

"No, my parents are dead. I live with my brothers on our family cattle ranch. I'm just heading back there. My brother Crane is in college at Davis and I just went to visit him for the day. My brother Adam is my legal guardian and is in charge of us all and of our ranch.

"Oh, sorry about your parents. That's too bad. How many brothers and sisters do you have?" Hal asked, seeming way too interested in Daniel's life.

"No sisters. I have six brothers." Daniel replied dully. " Three older, three younger."

"Ah, the middle child. That's a tough spot to be in. I remember that. I was a middle child too. You kind of feel like you get lost in the shuffle sometimes, am I right?" Hal replied, reaching over to pat Daniel's leg.

Daniel winced a little from the contact and before he could stop himself, he shrank away from Hal._ What's your problem? He's just being nice and you're_ _gonna piss him off!_ Daniel screamed at himself. He wasn't sure why he felt so ill at ease with Hal. The guy was being perfectly nice to him. It was just something about him that made Daniel feel uncomfortable.

"I guess I feel that way, sometimes." Daniel replied nonchalantly. He was praying the guy hadn't noticed his reaction to the pat.

"Sorry Dan. I'm just a touchy feely kinda fella, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." Please forgive me for overstepping my boundaries." Hal said, pulling his hand back and putting it on the wheel.

"No, I'm sorry. I just... I'm just tired, I guess." Daniel stammered. He searched the mans eyes for any hint of anger. He didn't see any.

"Thats alright. I don't blame you for being a little leery. I'm a stranger after all. Which brings me to my next point. You really shouldn't be hitching out here.

You never know who might pick you up. I'm surprised your brothers would be okay with you being out here all by yourself. Couldn't they afford bus fare?" Hal asked inquisitively.

"Uh, well..." Daniel began as he thought quickly. He had never been a very good liar. He hoped the fact that this guy was a stranger would work to his advantage. After all, the guy didn't know his mannerisms so he figured he could lie to him and get away with it.

"They uh, they gave me bus fare, but I only bought a one way ticket. I figured if I hitch home, I could save the money for some new guitar strings." He lied brilliantly.

"Oh. Guitar, huh? That's great. A good looker like you ought to be able to pick up a lot of girls with a guitar in your hand. You gonna start a band?" Hal laughed.

Okay, there it is again. That was too creepy. Did this guy just call me good looking? What the heck is his deal? Daniel thought to himself. He was growing increasingly uneasy. He wished he could just get out of this car. But, was he just being paranoid? He nervously took another sip of the soda and winced, noticing a bitter after taste. He had noticed it earlier, but figured it was just because it was an off brand that he wasn't familiar with.

But now, he was beginning to realize that something wasn't right. He was getting really sleepy. He looked up at Hal and the guy was rattling on and on about being in a band when he was a kid. The guys voice sounded strange all of a sudden. It sounded kind of far off and distorted, like listening to the radio with busted speakers. He was beginning to feel nauseous and dizzy and his vision was beginning to get blurry. He just felt wrong. He didn't say anything, in fact he was having trouble clearing his mind enough to form a sentence. His mind was getting foggier and foggier. It was like he knew he was in some kind of trouble, but his mind was too muddled to put together that his sudden illness had something to do with the strange aftertaste of the drink.

"Yeah, I'd say that soda is hitting the spot isn't it, kid?" Hal said, looking down at Daniel.

Daniel looked down at the bottle of soda. He had drank more than half of it already. He felt so confused. Everything was getting blurry. He stared at Hal, but could barely make out the man's features anymore. He felt so sleepy and cold now. Colder than he'd felt before, when he was out in the sound of Hal laughing hysterically made him shiver. Something was really, really wrong. He could barely keep his eyes open and his head was spinning. His stomach was churning and he felt as if he might hurl. He was trying desperately to fight sleep but he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. Why? What in God's name was wrong with him?

He looked up helplessly at Hal as he heard him say, "It's like I told ya kid, you really shouldn't be hitching out here all by yourself. It's not safe!" the man said as he again reached over and patted Daniel on the leg.

_ No, no! What's happening? What's this guy gonna do to me? Run, I need to run!_ Daniel's mind was swirling.

He felt so sick and he knew he was in big trouble. He had to get out of this car, but his arms and legs felt too heavy. He fumbled at the door handle, but Hal reached over and pulled his hand away from it as he pushed down on the lock.

He kept a tight grip on Daniel's wrist, while he continued to steer with the other hand. "Just relax and go to sleep. Uncle Hal's gonna take good care of you."


	11. Chapter 11

Finding Daniel chapter eleven

Crane wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Every time that phone rang in the sheriff's office he would nearly jump out of his skin. The clerk could sense his urgency and had been very diligent about answering most of the calls on the first ring. Each time she would glance up at him with a sympathetic look in her eyes and shake her head to indicate that the call had nothing to do with Daniel.

Crane had gone over every scenario he could dream up in his head at least a hundred times. His instincts were telling him that this wasn't going to end well. Plenty of time had passed for Daniel to have made it back to Murphys if he had managed to get a ride. If he were walking, then why wouldn't someone have seen him?

So far, the word was that not one motorist that had gone through the roadblocks set up between home and Sacramento had seen any trace of him. How could that be? The only explanation Crane could think of is that he was not walking along the roadway, but was off in a ditch hurt... or worse. What if he had been abducted by someone?

Crane couldn't keep sitting on his thumbs in the sheriffs office. He had to do something or else he'd go insane.

"I'm heading out to the roadblock to relieve Johnson." A tall deputy said to the clerk.

"Okay." She replied sweetly.

"Sir, could I catch a ride out there? I just can't sit here anymore. I don't feel like I'm doing anything to help find my little brother." Crane had spoken up. He tried to tamp down the desperation in his voice, but couldn't.

"Sure, I don't see why not. You're older brother is out there with them." The deputy replied. "Let's go." He said as he opened the door and Crane followed him to his cruiser. Crane sat down in the front seat next to the deputy. He let out a long sigh as he said a quiet prayer that Daniel would miraculously be standing there with Adam when they made it to the roadblock.

Crane couldn't control this feeling of helpless anymore than he could control his worry. He had lost count of how many times he had made calls both to Brian at home and to his dormitory at Davis.

Brian had said the same thing every time Crane checked in. That he hadn't seen or heard a peep from Daniel since he'd returned to the ranch. Each time Crane had spoken to his brother, Brian had sounded edgier than the previous time.

He had also talked to several different dorm mates, but no one, absolutely no one had seen anything of Daniel.

His roommate had even called a quick meeting in the common room of their dorm and showed them a picture of Daniel as Crane had asked him to do.

It was a picture, one of many, that Crane had taped to the wall in beside his bunk. It was one of himself at the piano with Daniel standing next to him with his guitar, taken right before he moved off to college.

Never being a fan of seeing himself in photos, Crane had for some time now figured the reason he liked the picture so much was because his own back was turned from the camera.

As he remembered, Brian had snapped the picture as he and Daniel, who was looking right at the camera with a broad grin on his face, played and sang a song for their brothers that they'd just finished writing.

The joy on Daniel's face always made Crane smile. Thinking of it now, Crane realized that it was the joy on Daniel's face that really made him so fond of the snapshot.

It had been a long road back from the death of their parents six years earlier, most especially for Daniel. For a long time, the heartwarming smile portrayed so perfectly in that picture had been wiped off of Daniel's face.

Their death had gutted them all, but had Daniel seemed to take it the hardest. The family had gone through some dark days with the kid and this latest crisis was bringing all of that pain and worry back to the surface. Especially for Crane.

After the third time his roommate spoke with him and swore that nobody recognized Daniel in that photo, Crane had let go of the idea that Daniel had ever made it as far as Sacramento. If he had, he would've come looking for Crane and someone would have seen him. He had to be on his way home, like he said in that phone call... and he just had to be alright.

* * *

Harold Jenkins considered himself a lucky man. After a month free from Folsom prison, he still couldn't believe he had fooled the idiots on that parole board.

He actually pulled off convincing them that he was a reformed man. He had been taught by his father that there was a sucker born every minute, he just couldn't believe he managed to get that many suckers in the same room at one time.

Reformed? How does one reform themselves in six months of a natural born instinct? Even though he desperately wanted to get out of that prison and regain his freedom, he was too much too smart to believe a line of bull like he'd spewed to those people. Apparently, he was smarter than all of_ them_.

Hal, as he liked to call himself had been aware of his lust for young boys ever since he was fourteen. He had no attraction whatsoever to females, but his desire for boys was strong. No all boys. He longed to have control over boys that were smaller and weaker than him.

He hadn't actually acted on his growing urges until he was seventeen. It was a neighbor boy. He must've been eleven, give or take a year. He had babysat the kid four or five times before he first got up the nerve to do anything with him. After the initial act, he had managed to put the fear of God in the boy and got away with molesting him numerous times over the period of about eight months.

Up until the boys parents moved him away. As far as Hal knew, the kid never did tell. At least if he did, no one ever came looking for him.

Hal actually tried to _reform_ himself after that. He figured he had gotten really lucky and he was scared of getting caught. His father had done a little time and to hear him tell it, jail was no place anyone ever wanted to be. It was too bad the man hadn't taken the time to care whether or not his son was listening to him.

Granted, his home life wasn't great, but it wasn't _really_ all that bad. He didn't suffer mental, physical or sexual abuse.

Sure his father was a drunk, but at least he wasn't a mean drunk. He treated Hal as though he could take him or leave him, but he wasn't abusive. His relationship with his mother wasn't much better. She spent more time away from home than she did with her family... most likely in the company of other men, thinking back on it now.

If Hal was a victim of his upbringing, he was simply a victim of indifference. His parents were too into their own lives to worry about how their only child was turning out.

So he left home as soon as he finished high school. He'd been on his own ever since. Going here and there, picking up odd jobs that he never really tried to hold onto, just existing... and lusting. Lusting for innocent boys who he had come to learn were easy prey.

So, at the age of twenty eight, after doing time a grand total of six months, he had been paroled after being convicted for the rape of a fourteen year old boy. This kid had been a one time thing. He had planned on intimidating him into not telling anyone. He hoped he wouldn't have to permanently take care of him but he wasn't planning to risk going to jail. He would do whatever he felt was necessary to hide his crime.

What he for sure hadn't planned on was for the boys' older brother catching him in the act.

Hal knew right away he was done for. A victim's statement and an eyewitness gave the prosecution a rock solid case... and he expected to serve every bit of that seven year sentence.

He didn't believe in Heaven and Hell, but he did believe in Karma. He knew after all the crimes he'd committed over the last eleven years against underage boys that his luck had finally run out. That he had only been charged and sentenced in this one case, when there were so many others, well Hal figured that was the closest thing to a miracle as he'd ever heard of.

Until that parole board let him walk last month after serving only six months of a seven year sentence. He knew for sure this time he'd been granted a miracle. He only prayed the remains of that twelve year old he'd buried up in Washington state two years ago would never be found.

To his knowledge, he was still a missing person. A kid from a broken family who decided to run away from home and simply hitched a ride with the wrong guy.

Kinda like this kid he had now. Hal hadn't planned on committing a crime today. He knew his desire would eventually take over, but he was really just getting away from Sacramento. He had taken money from his grandmother and they had fought. She threatened to turn him into his parole officer if he did anything else wrong.

So, he was truly trying to keep his nose clean. Because of the terms of his parole, he wasn't supposed to leave the state of California and so far he hadn't. But he wanted to put some miles between him and his grandmother.

He didn't like the taste that Folsom prison left in his mouth and the last thing he wanted was to go back in.

But then he had stopped to stretch his legs. And here was this kid. He was literally lying under a roadside table much like a Christmas present wrapped in a pretty red bow under a beautifully decorated tree.

Except it wasn't Christmastime and the tree was a picnic table in a roadside park.

But the boy. He did seem like a gift. He was just Hal's type. He had beautiful dark hair and big expressive eyes. He wasn't a big gawky kid, nor was he scrawny and broke out with acne like most of the others that had fallen victim to his sickness.

This boy had nice skin. He looked to be about thirteen, maybe a little older and had an athletic build. His big, hazel eyes were bright and friendly. Even his speaking voice was a turn on for Hal. He quite simply was more than Hal could resist. He just had to do this. It was too good to be true.

Hal didn't want this to be too messy. Maybe he was getting old and tired or perhaps prison had broken him. Either way, in the past most of the boys he had abused had put up a fight. And he had mostly enjoyed that. But this kid looked like he had a spark in him. He might put up a little too much resistance and even a boy this beautiful wasn't worth getting caught. He had a new plan and this boy he called Dan would be the first to try it out on.

* * *

"Hey, what'cha doin' here?" Adam asked, quickly giving Crane a supportive hug. Adam already knew the answer to his question before he even asked, so when Crane just shrugged his shoulders, Adam didn't pursue that line of questioning. The answer was written all over the kids face. He was feeling helpless and worried. Adam knew the feeling all too well. Still, it gutted him to see Crane so miserable.

_Doggone it Daniel. Why do you have to be so complicated? Why didn't you just come talk to me or Brian? How do you not understand that we love you and will do anything in the world to help you?_ Adam had replayed those questions a thousand times in his head today. And here they were going through his head again like a broken record.

As he looked into Crane's pained eyes, Adam longed for all of his younger brothers to be more like him. Sensible and level headed, Crane was anything but impulsive. When he had a problem, he either faced it head on handled it or he came to his family. Well, perhaps not Brian so much... but he always came to Adam when he was in over his head. How he and Daniel could be so incredibly close but at the same time so very different was beyond Adam's comprehension.

"Anybody heard anything new from Danny?" Crane asked his big brother nervously.

"Nope." But they have roadblocks manned pretty much in every township between here and Sacramento. Unless he's actually in Sacramento, we should find him soon. But if we haven't found him by tomorrow, the sheriff will get the authorities there involved too." Adam answered reassuringly.

"No! We have to find him before tomorrow, Adam. Hell, if they're not gonna do anything before then, I'll go back to Davis right now and look there myself-"

"Hold on Crane. You know he said he was on his way back hours ago. The chances that he's still in Sacramento are pretty slim. Come on kid. We're gonna find him." Adam said. "Just try and stay calm."

"Calm? You want me to stay calm? I'm not a kid anymore Adam. _Daniel_ is a kid. It's gonna be dark pretty soon. What's he doing for money or food or-"

"Crane stop it. Just, just have some faith. Okay? He's a smart kid. He can take care of himself. You've gotta keep it together. Say a prayer. You're strong in your faith. We gotta believe God will look after him." Adam said sternly.

"Yeah sure. Like he looked after Mom and Dad, huh?" Crane said, his tone changing from sharp with anger to flat with defeat, as a tear trailed down his cheek. He turned his face quickly away in hopes that Adam wouldn't see it.

Adam looked at Crane helplessly. His words tore deep into Adam's gut. "Crane, don't say that." Adam begged, though if he had to admit it, his little brothers words were true.

Bad things did happen to good people. Even when they were prayed over, sometimes things just didn't go the way you wanted. The McFadden boys had learned that lesson the hard way.

"No, you know it's true, Adam. Something has happened. I just know it in my gut." Crane retorted bitterly.

"No, you're just scared Crane. We all are, but you can't let yourself think like that. It's not doing you or any of the rest of us any good. Look at all the help we have." Adam said, motioning at all the deputies and police cars surrounding them. "There's a lot of people searching for Daniel. Do you want all of them to just give up?" Adam asked soberly.

"No, of course I don't." Crane replied helplessly.

"Then you can't give up either. You got that?" Adam asked, sounding a little more irritated than he wanted.

"Yeah. I'm sorry Adam." Crane replied sadly. The look in his eyes broke Adam's heart. He reached out to his lanky brother and pulled him in for a fierce hug. Crane buried his head in Adam's shoulder and silently wept. All Adam could do is hold onto him. There were no words to comfort him right now.

* * *

Hal knew for sure he had a couple of things going against him and his new _plan_. Number one, he didn't know this countryside at all, having never traveled through it before and secondly, if this kid were being honest, then he had a big family who was expecting him home soon.

But something seemed off about his story. Hitchhiking instead of coming home on a bus? Just to buy some silly guitar strings?

After all what if the kid hadn't found a ride? Wouldn't his family get worried if he didn't show up before the bus was due? Had the kid not thought that far ahead? He didn't seem like a dummy, but then again, in Hal's experience, most teenagers didn't think too far ahead. After all, isn't that how he had gotten away with so many of his crimes?

No matter, he just wished he had thought to ask the kid what time his bus was supposed to pull into Murphys.

If this kid that called himself Daniel were being honest with him, that would've been a handy little piece of information for Hal to have. At least he would know how quickly he needed to do what he wanted with this boy and then get out of the area.

He figured he'd better act pretty quickly. For all he knew, the kid was already past due at home. Or maybe he was a runaway like so many of his other victims had been.

He decided that he needed to quickly find a road that turned off of the main road. This area was remote enough for sure. The little towns in this part of the Sierra's were even smaller than where he'd dumped that kids' body up in Washington state. It should be pretty easy.

According to the map, they were only a few miles outside of Sutter Creek now. The rain had started again and Hal was nervous to turn off on any of the numerous dirt roads he'd passed since Daniel had fell asleep.

The last thing he needed was to get stuck in the mud. He was considering whether or not he should stop in the next town and get a room. He decided against it. It was just too risky.

If this kid was really from Murphys, then they were too close to his home turf and someone could recognize him. Add that to the fact that Hal didn't really know what he was doing with the drugs he'd used on him.

He had stolen them from his grandmothers house in Sacramento a few days back. All he knew is that they were for anxiety and she always took one or two every night and she would sleep like a baby for eight to ten hours.

After coaxing the boy into his station wagon, Hal had pulled the bottle of pills out of his pocket and quickly crushed four of them up on top of the cooler in his trunk. Then he'd used his pocket knife to pop the top off the bottle of soda and poured the fragments into it. He prayed that his plan would work.

He'd gotten lucky that the boy had drank enough of the soda without detecting the taste of the pills. Now, he was dead to the world.

Hal had a hard time keeping his eyes off of the boy. Each time he looked at him, his desire grew. This was likely the most handsome boy he'd ever seen. He still couldn't believe his luck.

He only hoped that he hadn't killed the kid with the medication. Observing him now, he didn't look too good. Hal wanted him submissive, but he wanted him alive. At least until after he was finished with him.

He put his hand on Daniel's shoulder and prodded it slightly. The boy moved a little and groaned, much to Hal's relief. He would kick himself in the butt if he didn't get the chance to do what he wanted before the kid died on him.

Hal was fairly convinced that the kid was just really out of it. He was pale and a little cold to the touch, but he didn't think too much of it. Hell, he was cold himself and he wasn't soaking wet like the boy. Damned heater just had to go out right when the weather turned cold.

He finally decided that he would take the next turnoff of the main highway and carry out his plan. He was getting too close to Sutter Creek and besides that, his desire was becoming too strong. He would have to take a chance on not getting stuck if the next road was dirt rather than gravel or asphalt.

He had really wanted to find a secluded spot to dump this kid after he was done with him. He hadn't seen anything but forest for several miles now, so he figured now was going to be his best opportunity.

One thing Hal was sure of, he couldn't leave this one alive. He couldn't take that chance anymore.

Before he'd made up his mind to abduct the boy, he had given him his real name and though he didn't particularly relish the thought of killing him, he had killed before out of necessity and once he walked out of Folsom, he new if he couldn't resist his need to take advantage of young boys, he couldn't leave any witnesses behind. He was on the grid now. He had a record and he was on probation.

This boy would no doubt be able to identify him and he could not let that happen. He wasn't about to go back to prison.

As Hal steered the car he looked down one more time at the boy sleeping under the blanket. His heart was beating fast. The thrill of what was about to happen was exhilarating.

As the car went around the next bend, Hal looked back up at the roadway ahead and couldn't believe what he saw.


	12. Chapter 12

Finding Daniel chapter twelve

_Dammit. What the Hell_? Hal's mind was swirling. There was no turn off around the bend.

Instead, there were three patrol cars with their lights on parked on either side of the highway.

Hal had come up on them too fast to turn around. Actually, there wasn't anywhere to turn around and even if there were, Hal instinctively knew that if he did, he would surely arouse suspicion and that was the last thing he needed.

After all, he had no idea what they were doing. If they were looking for someone- if they were looking for this kid, then he sure as Hell didn't need to arouse their suspicion.

What he did need was a story and he needed one fast.

He glanced again at Daniel asleep in the seat next to him. Dammit, even he could see the boy didn't look good. Not knowing what the law was doing in the roadway caused Hal a great sense of dread. He hoped they wouldn't have any reason to look too hard at his captor.

Hal knew he needed one more of his so called miracles. If he could just stay calm, maybe he could talk his way through this. After all, it was likely nothing more than a license check.

But if it wasn't and they were looking for this this boy, Hal realized that he had pissed away his opportunity.

The fact that he had literally stumbled onto his latest victim rather than picking him out and then taking some time to think out a plan of action as was was his usual m.o. had kept him a step behind ever since getting the boy in the car with him. After all, other than the idea of drugging any future victims, he had not planned this crime out at all.

And everything was working against him on this particular day, but his sickness wouldn't allow him to pass up this opportunity.

The unfamiliar countryside coupled with the wet, curvy roads had deterred him from getting any immediate gratification. He was having so much trouble just navigating the old station wagon on the wet, narrow highway, he had found it necessary to keep both hands on the wheel, especially sense it had started raining again.

Of course the rain would stop again _now_ with the law in his sights.

He could kick himself in the butt now for foolishly opting to let his excitement build rather than seeking any instant gratification.

Hell, the boy had been out of it for the better part of a half hour and Hal had not done anything inappropriate with him. Now, his desire was nearing a fever pitch and the thought of _never_ getting the opportunity to act on his lust was weighing heavier on his sick mind than the fact that the he was possibly facing going back to jail.

As Hal slowed the car down, he continued to take in the scene ahead.

He observed two police cruisers pulled over on the west side of the road and another one pulled over on the east side of the roadway.

There were two officers standing in the middle of the road, obviously intending to stop traffic. There were two more officers standing next to the patrol cars parked on west side of the roadway.

He knew if this _did _have anything to do with the boy, his goose was surely cooked and he had squandered away the opportunity of a lifetime.

He prayed, not for the first time in his life, to a God he didn't even believe in. He prayed for this to just be a routine stop by cops who were checking licenses and tags.

* * *

Fortunately for Hal, the car at least- was legal. His grandmother had given him her old heap when he got out of prison. He knew she'd hoped he would take it and go away immediately.

Instead, he had stayed with her for a short while, but after he'd taken that money, they had fought and he had lit out.

Not that he had intended to stay much longer. He had gotten all he was gonna get out of her anyways. He had taken the money so he could put brakes on the old wagon and buy a new tag and inspection sticker. He was as ready to get away from her as she was to be rid of him.

Hal took a deep breath and pulled slowly up to the officer in the west bound lane. The officer motioned for him to stop.

"Hi officer." Hal said coolly as he rolled down his window. Is there a problem?"

"No sir." The officer replied. As he looked across the car and saw the boy sleeping in the seat next to this man, he immediately sensed that this might just be more than a routine stop.

The boy sleeping in the passenger seat bore a strong resemblance to the kid in the picture he'd been studying all afternoon.

Actually, he did more than bear a strong resemblance. At second glance, he matched the description of Daniel McFadden exactly.

But, the officer remained calm as he began to realize that he may have actually just found what he and so many other of his fellow police officers had been looking for all afternoon.

Though he was anything but calm, officer Tim Dudley smiled casually at the driver of the car. If this was the boy he was looking for and he wasn't with this man willingly, he sure didn't want to tip his hand yet. "Sir, could I see your driver's license and car registration?" He asked politely.

"Yes sir." Hal answered equally as calm.

The officer took the license from him. "Who do you have with you there?" He answered as he motioned to another officer.

* * *

Officer Peggy Hanson was the first female officer in the history of Amador county. It was a very small force as was the county and it's population.

Besides herself and the three officers working this roadblock with her, there were only two other officers on the force, not counting their sheriff.

Officer Hanson had taken this roadblock seriously. There was something about the boy in the picture that just tugged at her heartstrings. He looked like a nice kid. She'd heard that his family was frantic about not knowing his whereabouts.

Add that to that the fact that she had a son at home herself, though he was only six. Just the thought of him going missing would be more than she could bear.

So maybe it was her motherly instincts kicking in, but from the second she'd been told the story and looked at the handsome features of this boy in the photograph, she'd felt a strong urge to do whatever she could to find him unharmed.

She stepped over to the car Tim had stopped. It was an ordinary old station wagon. When she peered over her fellow officer's shoulder and looked inside, she had to will herself not to react.

She didn't know who this guy was, but she was pretty sure his passenger was the boy they were looking for. If he wasn't he certainly looked a lot like him.

"Hanson, could you run this license and registration for me?" Officer Dudley asked her calmly.

"Sure." She turned, but not before giving Dudley a knowing look. He returned it and she too knew what his suspicions were.

"Excuse me, but could I ask what the problem is? My license is valid and so is my registration, isn't it?" Hal asked carefully. He knew it all was in order, so he didn't understand why they were running his license. He wasn't even sure they could legally do that. He was getting more nervous by the second.

"Yes sir. You'll get it back in a second. We're just conducting a search for someone, so I'm afraid I'm going to need you to answer my earlier question. "Who is that young man in the car with you?" Officer Dudley asked again, a little more forcefully this time.

Hal swallowed hard. "He's my nephew." The lie rolled off of his tongue easily.

"And what is your nephew's name?" Officer Dudley didn't take his eyes off of the man for a second. He was watching for any unnecessary movement. He thought he could detect nervousness in the man and he needed to proceed with caution.

"It's Johnny." Hal lied again. He knew this was it. He was caught. He had a gun under his seat, but there was no way to make a move for it. This guy was already suspicious and with three other officers right there and as many police cruisers at the ready, no way could he outrun them in this heap of a car.

"Johnny, huh. Okay, would you mind waking him up for me?" Officer Dudley said, staring intently at Hal.

"Um, he's not feeling well. I was just trying to get him to Sutter Creek. We've been driving all day and he's tired and pretty car sick. I'd really hate to disturb him. He just fell asleep.

"Okay sir. I need you to step out of the car for me and keep your hands in front of you where I can see them, please."

The fact that the boy hadn't awakened on his own had Officer Dudley worried. This wasn't an infant or a toddler. No way a boy his age was sleeping through all of this; unless something was wrong with him.

Not wanting to take the chance of this guy driving off or pulling a weapon, Officer Dudley proceeded cautiously. He wanted him out of the car so he couldn't drive off. He made sure to not to take his eyes off of the man.

"Parker!" He yelled over his shoulder at the officer standing behind him in the east lane, while still staring intently at Hal. "I need you to check on this kid in the passenger seat."

"Sure." Officer Parker replied. He walked slowly around the back of the car. Sensing trouble by the tone in his fellow officers' voice, Officer Parker was also intently watching the man in the drivers seat.

Hal put up his hands and slowly got out of the car. "Officer, this is a mistake, I haven't done anything wrong."

"Door's locked. Hey, kid, wake up for me." Officer Parker said as he knocked on the window of the car. The boy didn't stir. It was then that Parker noticed that he was soaking wet and appeared to be shivering. He looked kind of pale too.

He scanned the inside of the car quickly, noticing a wet denim jacket in the backseat. "Get the keys for me." He yelled over at Officer Dudley.

Officer Dudley instructed yet another officer to come over to assist him. "Get his keys." He said to the other officer, John Larson. Officer Larson walked over and got the keys out of the car and tossed them over to Parker.

Dudley kept a vigilant eye on Hal as he waited for Parker to get to the boy. Hal remained calm and kept his hands in sight. He knew the drill. He didn't want to go to jail, but he sure as hell didn't want to be shot dead by a nervous cop.

Parker searched his memory quickly as he pulled back the blanket covering the young man. But for a denim jacket, the boy was wearing exactly what the McFadden boy had been reported as last seen wearing, right down to the cowboy boots.

"Tim, something's wrong. I can't wake him up." Parker practically barked as he tried to wake the boy by shaking his shoulders and lightly slapping his cheek.

Dudley had been waiting for the license check to go through, but knowing how long that could sometimes take, he decided he had enough probable cause to detain this Harold Jenkins guy... if that was his real identity.

"Mr. Jenkins, we are conducting a search for a missing boy that fits the description of your passenger. Would you care to change your statement about him being your nephew?"

"I got nothin' to say." Hal replied defiantly.

* * *

Officer Peggy Hanson hurried back over to her partner. "He's in the system. Paroled from Folsom recently." She said breathlessly. Her heart was beating fast now.

"Peggy, you need to call dispatch and get an ambulance out here, now!" Officer Parker said. "I think this kid's in trouble."

Peggy Hanson did all she could to keep the panic in her eyes from showing. When she'd looked at the lifeless boy in the passenger seat earlier, she had a feeling something was wrong.

She was a woman, but she tried really hard to act like 'one of the boys' when she was on duty. She had to keep her emotions in check or risk losing the respect of her fellow officers.

Female officers were a rarity in this part of the country and it had taken her a number of years to earn the respect of her male counterparts and she didn't want to lose their respect now by acting 'soft'.

Officer Parker quickly checked the boys' pulse and finding a pretty strong one, he then searched the pocket of the kids' jeans.

"Hey Tim, I found a wallet. Yep, there's a library card in it. The name on it is Daniel McFadden." Parker announced as he searched Daniel's wallet.

"Mr. Jenkins, you're under arrest for suspicion of kidnapping. Put both hands on your head." Officer Dudley said quickly as he removed his cuffs from his belt and slapped them on Hal. As he began to read the man his miranda rights, Hal began to protest vehemently.

"Hey, now wait a minute. The kid just needed a ride. He just wanted a lift to Murphys. I was on my way there." Hal protested.

"What did you do to him? Why is he unconscious?" Officer Dudley shouted as he searched the man's pockets. He immediately felt something in the man's left hand shirt pocket. "What's this?"

"I said what is this?" Dudley shouted as he removed the medicine bottle from the mans' pocket and shook it in his face.

"I don't know." Hal answered smugly. "The kid was on something when I picked him up. I could tell it straight off. I got that outta his pocket after he passed out. I shouldn't have given him a ride. I knew he was trouble. Nothin but a strung out little punk I told myself. I shoulda just left him there in the rain. Look what I get for my trouble." Harold continued his rant.

"Well, you better hope he wakes up and tells us a similar story!" Officer Hanson yelled as she came back from her cruiser.

"An ambulance is on the way." She commented to Dudley as she rushed over to the passenger side of the station wagon to assist officer Parker.

"How's he doing?" She asked concerned.

"Not sure. Maybe the paramedics will know what kind of pills those are.

"Well they aren't prescribed to the suspect, but they sure aren't prescribed for the boy either. Name on it is Lucinda Williams." Dudley replied.

Parker was checking the boys' pulse again and began whispering reassurances to the kid, just in case he could hear them.

"Let me see them." Peggy said to officer Dudley worriedly, indicating the prescription bottle. She had briefly studied to be an emergency medical technician before she decided to change course and join law enforcement. She was hoping she could shed some light on what kind of medicine they were dealing with.

"There's an empty soda bottle at his feet. Looks like some of it spilled onto the floorboard." Officer Parker noted.

"Grab an evidence bag, that could be how he got the drugs in him." She said forcefully. Parker was new and green and Peggy didn't want any shotty police work to screw up this case. After what she'd seen on this guy's record, she was fearful that the boy had been assaulted on top of being drugged. She didn't want this slime bag slipping through their fingers because of bad police work.

After placing both the soda bottle and the bottle of pills in evidence bags, Officer Dudley handed over the bag with the pill bottle in it to Peggy.

After inspecting it, she said "Yeah, I know what this is. It's anxiety medicine. Strong stuff too. God, I wonder how many of them he ingested." She said again glancing worriedly at Daniel.

"Well, I saw white residue on the inside of the pop bottle." Officer Parker announced. I wish that ambulance would hurry up." He said anxiously. "Hang in there buddy, we're gettin' you some help." He said reassuringly to Daniel, patting his shoulder softly. The boy groaned a little, but didn't fully regain consciousness.

"They're about ten minutes out." Peggy replied, referring to the ambulance. "You're gonna be okay Daniel." She said stroking the boys' hair as she hovered over him. "Can you hear me, buddy?" She asked quietly. She was disheartened when he didn't respond.

He was cold and shivering so she took off her leather police jacket and spread it over his chest. Officer Parker followed suit, shucking off his jacket quickly and covering Daniel's legs with it.

Officer Dudley stuffed his prisoner in the back of his cruiser. "Man, if you have an ounce of decency in you, you'll tell us how much of that crap you gave him!" Dudley said sternly.

"I don't know nothin' about it. I already told ya." Hal replied adamantly.

Officer Dudley slammed the door in frustration as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. "Okay, we need to call this in to the sheriff. He'll get word out to everybody." Dudley said in exasperation.

"Be sure he intends to call the sheriffs office both in Murphys and Angels Camp. They are both in contact with the family. Tell dispatch to let the family know they'll be taking him to Sutter Amador Hospital in Sutter Creek.

"I'm on it." Officer Larson said.

* * *

Amador county sheriff Joe Hollis took the information being dispatched to him with both elation and concern.

Okay so his force had located the McFadden boy and for that he was both proud and also relieved.

But from Larson's accounts, the boy was in immediate peril, being unconscious and there was really no way yet to determine if he had been abused.

He was relieved to hear that the boy's vital signs seemed to be pretty good from what his officers could tell and he didn't appear physically injured in any other way, except for the suspected drugging, was of some relief to the sheriff.

But after immediately looking up this Jenkins' guys record, he knew that the whole story had yet to be told. The thought of what may have happened to this kid was enough to make this twenty- two year law enforcement veteran physically ill.

He had immediately made a call to Sheriff Turner in Murphys. He had strongly suggested to him that he only let the family know that their brother had been located and that he was being checked over at Sutter Creeks' local hospital.

Turner, having been given all the information on the suspect that Sheriff Hollis had, had quietly agreed with him.

Sheriff Hollis then made a call to Angels Camp, having been told that Daniel's legal guardian was waiting for word on his brother there.

Angels Camps' sheriff had not been in his office, so Sheriff Hollis gave the clerk the most important information to pass along to Adam McFadden. That his brother had been located and he needed to get to Sutter Amador Hospital as soon as possible.

It was immediately obvious to Sheriff Hollis that the clerk on the other end of the phone had gotten close to this case... and to the family it involved, because she had asked him a lot of questions that she had no authority to ask; and the sheriff had no intention of answering them over the phone.

She had eventually apologized for her unprofessional behavior and as the sheriff suspected, she explained that one of Daniel McFadden's brothers had been waiting in her office for news all afternoon.

Obviously, this kid had a loving family that would no doubt be of great support to him. Not yet knowing the boys' current condition nor what all he may have been subjected to, Hollis figured that was a good thing.

Knowing that these kinds of cases were going on all over the country, albeit rare in this neck of the woods and that most of those cases had either come to a tragic end, or had gone unsolved with the victim never being recovered, Sheriff Hollis knew that his force had gotten darned lucky. That this _ boy_, assuming he was going to survive the drugging, had gotten darned lucky.


	13. Chapter 13

Finding Daniel chapter thirteen

Adam sat in the front seat of the cruiser with Sheriff Carter. Crane was quiet and subdued sitting in the back. Adam had turned around to look at him several times and now wished he had thought before he jumped in front with the sheriff. He should be in the back with his worried and hurting little brother.

Adam was wrangling with his own demons. Daniel had been found at the roadblock outside of Sutter Creek. He himself had been there a couple of hours earlier. After speaking with law enforcement there and feeling reassured that they were taking the search for his little brother seriously, he had opted to return to the roadblock set up in Angels Camp. Leaving Crane there alone had been haunting him.

Once they knew that Daniel had called and was on his way home, Adam had had a strong urge to get back closer to home. He felt a strong need to be closer to Brian and the younger boys as well as being close to Crane.

As scared as Adam and Brian were, Crane was of big concern for Adam. He was almost as big a concern as finding Daniel. Crane had a tendency to self destruct. His mind had always tended to go to some pretty dark places when things weren't right.

He had attributed that to their tragic past. Crane had said to Adam numerous times over the years how glad he'd been that he and Daniel had been together when they got the news about their parents' accident. The thought of Daniel having been alone when that deputy came to the school to get him had been an unfathomable thought for Crane.

Adam felt now that he could understand how Crane felt back then. After all, they had gotten word that Daniel had been found together. But the news had been sketchy. All they had been told was that Daniel had been found at a roadblock near Sutter Creek and was being taken to a local hospital there. Aside from that, they had been told little else. Adam knew Crane was scared to death, so he knew it was better that they had been together. Not that he had been able to make Crane feel better, at least they had each other to lean on.

Which was why the look on Crane's face now was tugging at Adam's heart strings. He wanted to ask the sheriff to stop and let him get in the backseat, but at the same time, he was willing the man to drive even faster to get them to Daniel.

Adam was feeling helpless and he didn't know which way to turn. He no longer felt that he knew which way was up and which way was down. But God, if he'd been at that roadblock in Sutter Creek, he would now know how Daniel was. He would be with Daniel right now.

But, then Crane would be alone. Worried and torturing himself. It had been hard enough to have to trust Ed Sykes to go out and deliver word to Brian at the ranch. Adam had wanted to tell him himself, but there wasn't any time. He needed to get to Daniel. That's the only other information he'd been told. Y_ou need to get to Sutter Amador Hospital_ _as soon as possible._

And what about the younger boys? He knew Brian well enough to know that he hadn't told the younger boys the whole truth about Daniel. What exactly he had told them, Adam didn't know, but he knew Brian would keep the worst of it from them for as long as he could. He prayed now that Ed would use discretion around Evan, Ford and Guthrie when he talked to Brian. He still worried about how Brian would take the news... not to mention how he might feel about Adam not calling him and telling him personally.

God. This was too much. Ever since they'd laid their parents in the ground Adam had felt like he was chasing his own tail. Always feeling overwhelmed and needing to be in six places at the same time. He often wondered how many other twenty four year old men felt this way. Not too many he figured.

* * *

Crane McFadden was a bundle of nerves. He had felt elated at first when the sheriff had told him that Daniel had been located near Sutter Creek, but that elation quickly faded when he was told that they needed to get to Sutter Amador Hospital. Something was wrong, Daniel must be hurt or sick... or worse.

Crane's gut had been telling him all day that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. He had been teased all his life about his keen intuition. His brothers called him a worrisome grandma among other things, because he just always seemed to sense when something ominous was going to happen. Nine times out of ten, he was right.

He often wondered why he hadn't had a bad feeling about his parents when they were killed. That their accident and death had caught him completely off guard had often been something he pondered... usually late at night when all was quiet. He would think back on that day and try to remember if anything had felt off. But he couldn't remember feeling anything other than it being an ordinary day.

When it came to Daniel being in trouble, he had always been exceptionally intuitive. Adam and Brian had marveled for years at how Crane always seemed to know what that kid was thinking almost before the boy could finish a thought. He'd been reading him like a book from the time the kid could walk.

That long bus ride home today had found him edgy and ill at ease. He didn't know why at the time, but as soon as he stepped off the bus and got the news from Adam, his gut had been tied up in a million knots.

So here he sat in the back of a police cruiser, just like years before when his parents had been killed, waiting to find out just how bad things were. His mind was playing out some horrible scenarios and he had had to control his urges more than once to keep himself from yelling at sheriff Carter to step on it. To get him to his little brother... now.

* * *

Ed Sykes pulled up to the familiar old ranch house and sat for a moment staring at it. He really wished that Adam were here. The thought of bringing bad news to Brian McFadden had him feeling a sense of dread.

If you could really call it bad news. At least they had located Daniel and he was alive. But to have to tell Brian that something was even remotely wrong with his little brother was not going to be a pleasurable task. Ed almost wished he had let the sheriff handle this. But Buck Turner wasn't the most sensitive of human beings. Ed knew that if he didn't handle this task with the right amount of tact, he could possibly end up hauling Brian into headquarters in handcuffs.

No, if for no other reason than respect for Adam, Ed knew he needed to be the one to do this.

"Brian, there's a police car outside!" Evan yelled running through the living room to the kitchen where Brian was finishing supper.

Brian practically dropped the spoon he was using to stir the- what would you call this concoction? Stew he supposed. He had been cooking for a number of years, but his brothers kept him grounded about his culinary skills, often ridiculing his soups, stews, chili as less than delectable. Tonight's meal would likely rank up there with the worst of them.

Brian was so worried and preoccupied that he had not paid attention to his own recipe. He couldn't keep track with what ingredients he had put in; some likely going in more than once, while others had likely been forgotten altogether. Fortunately, the McFadden boys had pretty much learned to eat just about anything.

Now, he had to face his fears. His fear that something really bad had happened to his kid brother. Or that, with the light of day was giving way to dusk, that he hadn't been located and was now going to be missing in the darkness.

"Evan, get the other boys gathered up for supper. Set the table and take up some stew for them... And Evan, keep them inside. Do not come out unless I ask you too.

"Brian why? What's going on, man? Where's everybody and why can't we see why the deputy's here?" Evan asked, sounding ever bit as panic stricken as Brian felt.

"Evan, you do what I say, you hear me?" Brian snapped as he headed to the front door. He wanted to meet Ed outside, away from 'little ears'.

"Hey Brian." Ed said nervously.

"What's up? Y'all find Dan'l yet?" Brian asked quietly. No doubt, the boys were at the window eavesdropping. Brian continued down the steps to meet Ed Sykes at the yard gate. He wanted to be out of earshot of the boys, just in case.

"Yes, they found him at the roadblock just outside of Sutter Creek." Ed replied, calmly.

"Thank God. So, is Adam and Crane picking him up?" Brian said, hearing the relief in his own voice.

"They're headed to him." Ed answered cautiously.

Brian studied the man. He knew that for whatever reason, Ed was stalling. There was something more he had to say and was dreading saying it.

"What are you _not_ telling me Ed?" Brian said, giving the man a sideways look, trying to keep his own emotions in check.

"Look, I'm sure Adam will call you soon, but Daniel was taken to the local hospital over there." Ed replied nervously.

"What? What's wrong with him?" Brian asked, clearly startled.

"I don't have all the details. Evidently he hitched a ride and... well, he was sick or something when they found him." Ed replied.

"No! Geez, Ed. Tell me the truth would ya? I got three kids inside I'm trying not to freak out and you're trying to withhold information about Dan'l! How would you feel if it was your family, huh?" Brian shouted, arms flailing in the air.

"Calm down Brian. I'll tell you what I can. But look, you have to stay calm. This is gonna be upsetting to you, but remember, Adam's on his way to him so... you, you have to stay calm for the other boys, okay?

Brian did his best to gather his composure. All he wanted to do was hit something. He knew by Ed's behavior that something was really wrong with Daniel. Outright fear was quickly replacing the relief he had been feeling just a few seconds ago.

"Alright, alright. I'm calm Ed. Just give it to me straight, okay?" Brian said, his voice thick with fear.

* * *

Officer Peggy Hanson was nearing the end of her shift. It was almost time to go home to her husband of nine years and her six year old son.

The day had started out very ordinary. She had some reports to review and sign off on from her previous shift.

Then, she'd gone out on patrol and written a couple of speeding tickets, before in the middle of the day, she'd been dispatched out to county route 4. There, she'd joined in with fellow officers to set up a roadblock.

They'd been instructed to carefully review the photos of a young boy; a runaway. Then they had begun the process of setting up a roadblock and stopping cars. She figured it was a long shot, with so many other jurisdictions involved in the search, that she would be in on actually recovering the missing boy.

But she had hoped that by the end of her shift, they would at least get word that the boy had returned home or at least been found. Found safe and healthy. So, the fact that she had helped to recover him made her feel grateful.

But, he was anything but fine.

When she helped paramedics safely place him in the ambulance, she had been worried. The paramedics had checked him over quickly and scooped him up and headed for the hospital. At the scene, his blood pressure had been low and his breathing had by then become shallow too.

She had listened intently as the paramedics called in his vitals. At the scene, his blood pressure had been low and his breathing had become shallow. They had called everything in to the hospital. She had heard them report a blood pressure of 60/40; too low. They had been shown what medication he had supposedly ingested and that information had been called in also. She'd heard other medical terminology, such as slow reflexes.

Instinctively she knew this boy wasn't out of the woods yet. She knew this kind of overdose could cause unconsciousness, but could ultimately lead to coma or even death. The mother in her wanted to go to the hospital.

But she also just wanted to go home and hold her own son. Hold him and tell him how much she loved him. Officer Dudley still had two hours left on his shift and had been told to accompany the ambulance to the hospital and to take the prescription medication to the emergency room physician. He had told Peggy to go home and reassured her that he would call her at home with any updates.

So, Peggy had said her prayers and followed his orders. She had done her job. Now, it was up to the medical staff in the ambulance and at Sutter Amador Hospital to do theirs. She prayed for God to be with the doctors as they treated Daniel McFadden.

* * *

Sheriff Carter pulled the cruiser up to the emergency room and wasn't surprised when Adam McFadden jumped out of the passenger side before he had even pulled the car to a complete stop. Normally, he would have reprimanded someone for being so reckless, but he wasn't about to say anything to this particular passenger.

The air had been thick on the entire drive in from Angels Camp to Sutter Creek. You could have cut the tension inside the cruiser with a knife. To say Adam and Crane had been anxious to get to the hospital would be a gross understatement.

Sheriff Carter knew that the scene inside the hospital was going to be tense as well. He prayed for this family as he put the car in park, that this whole incident would still have a happy ending.

Once inside the sliding glass doors, Adam, followed closely by Crane, took in the sight of two law enforcement officers from Sutter Creek. Assuming they were the ones who had found Daniel, he rushed over to them, expecting to get some quick answers to his questions.

"Sheriff? He said as he approached Sheriff Hollis.

Sheriff Hollis turned to take in the sight of two young men. He also saw Sheriff Carter trailing behind them and knew that these boys had to be Daniel McFadden's brothers.

"Adam McFadden?" Sheriff Hollis replied as he extended his hand out to shake the younger man's hand.

"Where's my brother?" Adam blurted out before he even offered his hand in return.

"He's being treated right now." The sheriff replied with a deep sigh. "We haven't heard any news yet from the medical staff."

"Being treated for what? Nobody told us what's wrong with him." Adam asked anxiously. Noticing that the sheriff and the deputy standing next to him were looking towards Crane, Adam offered, "this is my brother Crane. You can speak in front of him." Adam offered, suddenly fearing their news may be something he might not want Crane to hear yet. No matter, there would be no discussion about Daniel out of ear shot of Crane. They would have to drag the boy out in handcuffs in order to do that.

"Nice to meet you both. This is officer Dudley. He was one of the officers that found your brother." the sheriff stated. "Why don't we sit down. The doctor will come out here when there's news." He continued, ushering the boys over to some chairs in the waiting area. He was glad that the rest of the waiting area was empty.

Adam wanted to scream. He was tired of the sheriffs antics already. He didn't want to sit down nor did he wish to be placated. He wanted to know what in the Hell was going on with Daniel. The stress of this entire day was bearing down on his shoulders and he no longer felt he had the ability to keep from blowing his stack.

"Sheriff, please." Adam said as he reluctantly took the proffered seat.

It was Crane that finished his sentence. "What is wrong with Daniel?"

"Well, it seems that he has been drugged. I believe the medical staff are attempting to pump his stomach." The sheriff replied.

Adam's head began to swirl. He didn't know what he had expected, but the answer he got made no sense at all.

"Drugged? How? By who?" Crane sputtered in disbelief.

"Look boys. We're not sure just yet how this all came to be, but Daniel was in a car with a man who claims he was just giving him a ride, but when my deputies looked over Daniel, he was unconscious." The sheriff answered flatly.

"We took the man into custody and called an ambulance for your brother." Deputy Dudley offered quietly.

"Exactly how bad is this?" Adam asked soberly. He had to forget about trying to figure out everything the police were telling him and just focus on Daniel's condition. He would figure the rest of it out later.

"We're not really sure. The doctors have been working on him for a while now. We told them we would have the family wait here with us for word, so I'm sure we'll be hearing something very soon.

It was about that time that a man dressed in scrubs and a white jacket, came through the double doors that led to the treatment area. Adam arose quickly and met the man.

"I'm Adam McFadden. I need to know how my brother is." He stated breathlessly.

The doctor studied Adam for a moment. He knew from his patients' chart that Adam McFadden, his older brother, was his legal guardian. He was a little taken aback to see such a young man, however. He expected him to be an older man.

"Hello, Mr. McFadden, I'm Dr. Atkins." The doctor replied as he glanced over at Crane standing next to Adam. "I'm Daniel's brother Crane." Crane blurted out, hoping to hurry the doctor along.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you both. Mr. McFadden, your brother ingested an overdose of benzodiazapines and was unconscious when he arrived in the emergency department. We had to intubate him and then perform a nasogastric lavage procedure. We were successful in emptying the contents of his stomach. He is stable now and resting comfortably.

"Can we see him?" Adam asked anxiously.

"There's no reason that you can't. However, I want you to realize that he is going to be a bit groggy for quite a while. He may show some signs of confusion at first, that's mostly a side effect of the drugs he ingested. He's lucky though. This particular drug is very dangerous if it's mixed with alcohol. Fortunately, there was no alcohol in his system." The doctor continued.

Crane couldn't understand why this doctor was still blabbering on. Couldn't he see that they just wanted to see Daniel right now? He tried to tamp down his anger, after all, this guy had possibly just saved his brothers' life, but he couldn't help how he felt.

"Thank you, doctor. We'd like to sit with him if we can." Adam said, indicating himself and Crane. If the doctor's previous words hadn't been enough to confuse Adam and cause him to have even more questions, what he said next certainly did.

"Sheriff, have you discussed the examination you've requested to Mr. McFadden?" Dr. Atkins asked hopefully.

Sheriff Hollis cleared his throat as he stepped up and replied. "No, I haven't. I was just about to do that when you came out doc."

"Very well. I'll go back and check on our patient. After you've explained everything, just have the nurse page me sheriff and I will be glad to come and answer any and all questions, and then these folks can see their brother for a few minutes." The doctor quickly turned on his heels and went back through the double doors leading to the treatment area.

"What is he talking about, sheriff? I thought he just said Daniel is okay. What kind of exam is he talking about?" Adam asked sternly.


	14. Chapter 14

Finding Daniel chapter fourteen

Adam felt as though his world had been turned upside down... again. To be told that Daniel had been in the clutches of a convicted sex offender had knocked him off of his feet- literally. The news delivered by the sheriff had come as a complete shock and Adam found himself on his knees in the middle of the hospital corridor. It took both sheriff Hollis and sheriff Carter to haul him up off of the floor and back into a chair.

Now, after all Daniel had been through today; after all they'd_ all_ been through today, Daniel was going to have to go through a police interrogation and depending on what he could and could not remember, possibly a sexual assault examination.

Once Adam had found his voice again, he had insisted that he be the one to question Daniel. After all, this was a fourteen year old boy... his little brother, and no one knew what his state of mind would be once he fully regained consciousness.

The sheriff had agreed on a compromise. He would allow Adam to go in and see Daniel first; Allow Adam to prepare Daniel for the questioning and then allow Adam to remain at Daniel's side once the sheriff did question him.

Like there was any doubt about that. Adam would not have allowed anyone to ask Daniel anything without him being present.

But then Crane had adamantly refused. He didn't want anyone upsetting Daniel with any such questions. He didn't care about a police investigation, he was completely against Daniel being put through any of it.

Adam understood his feelings of course, but after hearing the sheriff out, he realized that this douche bag could have killed Daniel with those drugs and God knows what else he'd done to him or what he would have done had he not been caught. Adam knew they couldn't let the guy just walk free.

Even though the drugging was enough to revoke the mans' parole and cause him to at least go back to prison and serve out the rest of his original sentence, what if he _had_ assaulted Daniel? No. Adam knew they couldn't let that go unpunished.

Still, Crane had gone on a rampage. He couldn't understand why the doctor didn't go ahead and do the exam when Daniel had been unconscious. The doctor had patiently explained that the immediate concern had been to save Daniel's life. From the doctors perspective, Daniel could have fallen into a coma... or even died from the overdose.

Not knowing exactly how long it had been since the actual drugging had taken place, pumping his stomach could have been too little, too late. There was only a window of about ninety minutes that the medical team had to successfully pump those drugs out of Daniel's stomach. If any more time than that had passed, given his vital signs upon arrival to the hospital, there actually could have been permanent damage or worse- a fatal outcome.

Given those facts, Adam had been able to calm Crane down enough to agree to what the sheriff had asked of them.  
Crane had asked... rather he had begged, to go in first and sit with a still sleeping Daniel. Adam had agreed to that as long as Crane promised that once Daniel woke up, he would come and get him.

Now, hanging up the receiver after making an almost unbearable call to Brian, Adam turned away from the phone booth and took a seat once again in the lonely waiting room. He needed to try and clear his head and think.

He had agreed to let Brian ask Jan to come back out to the ranch and sit with the boys, so that he could join them at the hospital. He really didn't want a volatile Brian at the hospital right now, nor did he want him to leave the younger ones with anyone other than family, but he couldn't exactly refuse him. Brian had just as much right to be there as any of them and Adam didn't have the heart to deny him that.

Now, he needed to regain his own composure and attempt to mentally prepare himself to talk with Daniel. What state of mind would the kid be in? What would he remember, if anything? If he did remember everything- what would he be willing to share? Would he admit to being abused if that were the case? If so, would he be willing to talk about it to Adam?

There was that issue of trust again. Adam knew Crane had Daniel's trust, but after the events of the day, he was certain that the kid didn't completely trust _him_. But could he allow Crane to be the one to ask the difficult questions? It wouldn't be right; this wasn't Crane's responsibility. Besides, Adam wasn't sure Crane could handle it. Adam knew he had to do this himself.

Too many damned questions and Adam wasn't sure he was ready for any of the answers, but he had to face it.

Anything less would be letting a lot of people down. The police, who were only trying to do their job and get justice for Daniel, his family and most of all, Daniel himself.

The boy may not see it that way though and Adam couldn't blame him if he didn't. This was going to be the hardest conversation he had ever had with any of his brothers.

The only other time Adam remembered feeling this much trepidation about talking to any of the boys was the night all of their lives had been forever changed.

Six years ago when he'd had to gather them all together to tell them that their parents were dead and they'd never see them again. Adam had hoped to never, ever have to do anything like that again. He was full of doubt now. Could _he_ handle this?

* * *

Crane sat watching Daniel sleep. He seemed peaceful enough. He wasn't stirring or having bad dreams as Crane had expected. After all, Daniel was notorious for waking him up in the middle of the night with nightmares. He had for years processed all of his anxiety and fears in his sleep.

To see him so restful gave Crane a glimmer of hope. Hope that his little brother- his best friend, was okay. Other than suffering some side effects of being drugged, unharmed.

He had slipped his hand easily into Daniel's as soon as he sat down at his bedside. It was an act as natural as breathing for Crane. As he watched his brother sleep, he began to notice that there were dark circles under his eyes and his face was too pale. He was shivering slightly, too. But there were no other outward signs of injury.

Of course, he was mostly covered up by thick blankets. The nurse had explained to them that Daniel had been soaked to the skin and having chills when he got to the hospital.

Being wet and cold, coupled with the overdose of drugs in his system, his body temperature was low. After the nasal gastric lavage treatment, the doctor had ordered warming blankets be put on on him to help bring his temperature back up. A nurse had just advised Crane that it was working; Daniel's temperature had now returned to nearly normal.

Crane wasn't sure exactly how long he'd sat there, but he finally felt Daniel's fingers moving underneath his hold. He looked up and saw him beginning to stir. First he shifted his legs, then his eyelids began to flutter.

Crane stood up and leaned over the bed railing and whispered into Daniel's ear. "Hey kiddo. Can you hear me? I'm right here and Adam is right outside." He said, willing the tremble in his voice to stop.

Slowly, Daniel opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times before saying, "Crane?"

"Yeah buddy. I'm here. How ya feelin'?" Crane said as he quickly wiped away tears that were sliding down his own cheeks.

Daniel groaned lightly and replied "not so great, I feel kinda nauseous." Then he glanced past Crane and began looking around the room before asking "where are we?"

"In a hospital." Crane replied softly. "You're gonna be just fine, though."

Reassuring Daniel was also something that came naturally to Crane. After all, he'd been doing it for years.

"What happened, Crane? Why am I in the hospital?" Daniel asked, seeming more than a little confused and alarmed.

"Shh. Just relax and rest. I can tell you're still really sleepy. Just close your eyes and rest now. I'm gonna go get Adam." Crane replied.

"No, wait!" Daniel said as he grabbed at Crane's shirt sleeve. "Is he mad at me?" Daniel asked weakly, grabbing Crane's hand and holding it tightly. Crane sat back down next to his brother and began to stroke his arm.

"Adam's not mad. Nobody's mad, Danny. He just wants to see you. I promised I'd get him when you woke up. He's been really worried about you. We all have been." Crane answered, squeezing his little brothers hand in reassurance.

"Am I sick?" Daniel continued his questioning.

"You were, but you're gonna be just fine. I'll let Adam talk to you about it, okay? Just close your eyes and relax while I go get him. It'll only take a second, I promise." Crane reassured him as he turned to leave the room.

"Crane?" Daniel continued. "I didn't cheat. I swear I didn't. Will you tell Adam that?" Daniel begged.

Crane was more than a little surprised at Daniel's statement. He wasn't quite sure what he'd expected from his brother, but he hadn't expected _that._ At least, not right now.

"Aww Danny. He knows that. We all know you didn't cheat. Look, you don't need worry about that mess at school. We'll clear it all up later. Just please rest right now and stop worrying." Crane replied.

Still in awe that the events from this morning was the first thing on his little brothers mind after regaining consciousness, he wondered if that was the only thing the kid remembered from this whole day. Crane knew this wasn't going to be easy for Adam.

"I don't know what I was thinking... runnin' off like that. I just- I needed to talk to you. I figured you'd tell me how to make it right." Daniel stammered.

"Yeah, well we're gonna have to have a talk about that; Later though. Right now we just need to take care of you. I swear Daniel, you don't have a thing to worry about with Adam. He's not angry with you. He's just concerned, alright?" Crane said as he tucked Daniel's arm back under the warming blanket.

He could see that his little brother was still feeling cold. "Okay?" He repeated his last assertion.

"Okay." Daniel said, giving him a look of complete and total trust. Crane couldn't help but feel good inside. He loved knowing that Daniel trusted him completely. Now, he only wished Adam could feel that same sense of satisfaction.

* * *

Sheriff Hollis was waiting outside the door of Daniel's private room, along with Adam. His deputy, Tim Dudley was there too. Sheriff Carter had offered his best wishes and headed back to Angels Camp. He hadn't wanted to leave the McFadden boys stranded, but upon learning that their brother Brian was on his way to the hospital, he figured he'd better get back to his own jurisdiction.

Adam looked up and upon seeing Crane come out of Daniel's room, he walked away from the police officers in his presence so as to have some privacy when he spoke to Crane.

"He's awake. He seems to be doing alright. I'm not sure he's remembering too much about what happened to him. First thing out of his mouth was to tell you he didn't cheat on that test." Crane explained, shaking his head.

"Are you serious? That's what's on his mind now?" Adam asked. The guffawed look on his face painting a clear picture to Crane that he shared his surprise about Daniel's state of mind.

"Like I said, I'm not sure what he can remember." Crane repeated. "But, I told him you weren't mad at him and that you wanted to talk to him."

"Yeah, thanks. Look, Brian's on his way up so I'd appreciate it if you'd wait for him here and catch him up to speed." Adam said.

Crane nodded in agreement, before following Adam's gaze as he looked over at Sheriff Hollis. "Mind if I spend some time with my brother alone first? I promise, I'll come get you before we talk about what happened with this Jenkins' guy." Adam said, hopeful the sheriff would respect his family's privacy.

"I think that's a reasonable request. But, please, if he starts to talk about anything that could be related to this case, I'm gonna need you to come get me or Tim here. We have to have his statement, Mr. McFadden." Sheriff Hollis replied.

Adam nodded in agreement and said, "I promise I will and please, call me Adam. I'm not even twenty-four yet, sheriff." That said, Adam took a deep breath and opened the door to Daniel's room.

* * *

Brian tried his best to keep from speeding. He knew the jeep handled well on the curvy mountain roads, but he also knew that Adam... that his whole family couldn't take having another brother to worry about right now.

Jan had come over right away. Apparently, word had spread fast that Daniel had been found. Faster even perhaps, than it had spread that the boy had run off.

In a small town like Murphys both good and bad news had a way of traveling quickly. Maybe because everyone was so tight knit and used to looking after each other; maybe because people were just nosy by nature. At any rate, everyone in town had been in one way or another looking for Daniel.

Whether making calls to friends and family in neighboring towns and cities, or asking their kids questions about where their schoolmate might have gone or actively joining in on the numerous search parties that had been assembled by the local sheriff's department, everyone had been searching.

It was one of the reasons that Brian loved living here. It was why his parents loved living here. But being from such a sheltered place could put a person at a disadvantage. The world could be a cruel place. Brian had heard that his whole life. Hell, with the exception of Crane living in a dormitory in Sacramento these days, he and his brothers had never lived anywhere else; had rarely ever ventured anywhere else.

So, upon hearing what may have happened to Daniel today Brian had been scared half to death. He wanted to be there at the hospital with his little brother _now_.

This sixty mile drive seemed to be taking an eternity. He knew that Adam and Crane were there with Daniel and he was grateful for that. But he needed to see the boy firsthand. For all Brian knew, he had been spared the entire truth. What if Ed or his brothers were keeping something from him?

He knew _he_ was keeping something from his younger brothers. Sure, it was to protect them, but it still didn't seem fair somehow. Daniel was their brother too. But, being so young, Brian felt the need to protect them. What was haunting him now was the fact that maybe Adam was protecting _him_. Maybe things with Daniel were worse than what he'd been told. Maybe they already knew that the scumbag that Daniel had been found with had hurt him.

The story Ed had told him pretty much matched what Adam had told him over the phone. Daniel was drugged by a felon who was out on parole but that they had gotten him to the hospital and were taking good care of him. Daniel was stable, but still unconscious. There were no outward signs of it, but they weren't sure whether the guy had assaulted Daniel... _Sexual assault. What kind of sick person would even think to do such a thing to a boy? _The thought of it was more than Brian could stand.

He prayed the guy hadn't hurt Daniel in that way. But, if he did, the son of a bitch was as good as dead. Brian would kill the guy with his bare hands. But first, he had to get to Sutter Creek in one piece.

He had to slow the jeep down and drive as safely as he could. It was going to take a little longer, but him ending up in a ditch or going off the side of a mountain wasn't going to help anybody, Brian kept reminding himself.

* * *

Adam let himself into Daniel's room quietly. He eased himself into a chair next to his brothers' bed.

The boy appeared to be asleep. He looked small in that big bed. He was snuggled under blankets which made him look even younger than his fourteen years. Adam had to remind himself that the kid was in high school now.

Adam could almost pretend that this was a normal bed check back at the ranch. For years he and Brian had been looking in on their little brothers before turning in themselves at night.

In the years after their parents deaths, it had been pretty normal to look in on the younger boys, only to find one or more of them in tears. Losing their parents had been hard on all of them.

Daniel had taken it especially hard. But, tears were less likely from Daniel than the other ones. It was even more likely for Adam to find Crane crying over their parents death than it was to find Daniel in tears.

Instead of weeping, Daniel grieved in other ways. Sure, he had a lot of nightmares, but Crane usually woke up and handled those. By the time Adam would make it to the room they shared, Crane would have the boy settled and simply send Adam away.

Looking back on that now, it was probably a mistake. It wasn't Crane's job to do that. It was Adam's job. He had papers from a judge to prove it.

Daniel was more likely to show his grief with anger and defiance. He had really put his two eldest brothers through a lot of grief in the last six years.

Every bit as prideful as Adam, Daniel had always considered tears as a sign of weakness. Rarely did he ever let Brian or Adam see him cry. Those moments had been reserved for Crane.

If Adam were being honest with himself, he'd have to admit that it had hurt, too. He felt like Daniel was somehow shutting him out of his life.

Maybe that was the reason Adam always came down so hard on Daniel when he made mistakes. Was he just angry with the boy for not letting him into his world the way the other boys did?

Both Adam and Brian had had a hard time dealing with Daniel's grief. It didn't seem to bother Brian the way it did Adam, though. He knew that after today, the two of them were going to have to break down the barrier that was standing between them.

After all, if Daniel totally trusted Adam, none of this would have happened today... would it? If Daniel had just come to him, they wouldn't be here now.

Look where it had gotten them. Adam was about to have the most difficult discussion of his life, with the brother that he in many ways, felt the most estranged from.

After sitting down next to the bed, Adam couldn't resist lightly running a hand through Daniel's thick, too long hair. The boy needed a haircut... again. It seemed as though the boys' hair was always in his eyes. Hadn't he just had it cut?

Adam's heart froze as he saw Daniel's lashes flutter before those big, hazel eyes popped open and looked directly at him.

"Adam?" He said softly.

He knew it was irrational, but at the moment Adam suddenly felt terrified of this particular little brother.

"Hey kiddo. You need a haircut." He said with a warm smile.

"Are you mad at me?" Daniel asked and Adam thought he might cry. He fought to tamp down the tears forming in his eyes.

"No, I'm a lot of things Danny... scared, relieved, worried, thankful... but I'm not mad." Adam said, still smiling.

"I really messed up. I know I caused a lot of trouble and I'm really sorry. I was trying to come home, honest." Daniel said, his voice pleading.

"I know, I know." Adam replied soothingly as he took Daniel's hand in his. "I just thank God we found you kiddo. I was so scared when I couldn't find you Danny. You just don't know." Adam said, his voice hitching. The tears did start to fall now but Adam realized that he didn't care.

"I'm sorry I scared you Adam. I- I just- I wasn't thinking straight. I knew there was no way to convince Mr. Hodges that I didn't cheat and... I was afraid of what you'd think of me." Daniel said, bowing his head in shame.

"Daniel. I wish you'd come to me and I- I'd like to say I'd have believed you. But the truth is, I probably would have lost my temper and yelled at you. Ah hell Danny, I don't know why I come down on you so hard, but I promise, I'm gonna work on it. I just need you to give me a chance, okay?" Adam said, his voice pleading now too.

"Okay." Daniel said with a small smile. "Why am I here Adam? I mean- can't we go home? I just wanna go home." Daniel said, sounding almost desperate.

Adam studied his little brother. _What does he remember? What happened to him when he was in that car? _Adam knew the time had come to finally ask some tough questions and he was going to have to ask them in front of the sheriff or his deputy. Was Daniel going to be able to handle this? He wondered one final time as he took in a deep breath.


	15. Chapter 15

Finding Daniel chapter fifteen

Adam found himself relieved as he stepped out of Daniel's room to get the sheriff. He had quietly explained to his little brother that the police needed to ask him some questions about Hal.

Daniel had looked confused at first, but after Adam explained to him about how he had been found, he seemed to understand that this was something that had to be done. He had even tried to speak on it, but Adam instructed him to wait.

It was nearly unbearable for his big brother though. Adam wanted desperately to know what Daniel had to say; to know what he remembered. But the sheriff had made it clear that any statement Daniel made needed to be in front of him or his deputy, to protect the integrity of the case.

On one hand, Adam got it. He understood that any reaction he may have to what Daniel said could cause the boy to hold back when speaking to the police. But on the other hand, the big brother in him just instinctively wanted to protect Daniel. He wanted to be the first person to hear what the boy had to say. He needed to know if that creep had hurt is vulnerable little brother.

The fact that Daniel didn't seem intimidated about talking to the police gave Adam some hope that everything was going to be alright. Maybe Harold Jenkins had been caught before doing anything to Daniel that would potentially scar him for life.

Then again, if it was just a case of him not remembering anything, what would come after the questioning no doubt would leave scars. Adam had yet to cross that bridge with Daniel.

He decided to just take it one step at a time. If the examination became necessary, then Adam would do his best to make Daniel understand why they needed to do it.

Adam feared the consequences so much that perhaps he wasn't yet ready to face them. He already felt that he didn't have Daniel's complete trust. His having to be the one to not only explain a rape examination to the boy would undoubtedly put their relationship on some shaky ground, but to be the one to actually give his permission and allow them to do that to Daniel... how would the kid take that? Would he consider it a betrayal? Adam had to shake off those thoughts.

"He's ready to talk sheriff." Adam said coolly. He looked over at his brother Crane, who was the picture of misery and all those feelings he'd just shucked off came right back again. Adam realized that he might not only blow any chance of ever gaining Daniel's trust, he may lose Crane's trust in the process.

"Thank you Adam." Sheriff Hollis said as he followed Adam through the door into Daniel's room.

"Hello young man. I'm sheriff Hollis." The man said as he walked over and stood at the foot of the bed.

"Hi." Daniel replied simply. He smiled when Adam took a seat again next to his bed. He immediately reached out and grabbed Adam's hand and squeezed.

Adam felt like he was going to bawl like a baby, but he managed to keep his composure. Apparently, Daniel really wanted his support, which gave him hope.

"Daniel, did you get into that car with Mr. Jenkins of your own free will?" Sheriff Hollis began.

"Yes sir." Daniel replied politely. He began to explain the events, as best as he could remember them, leading up to his hitching a ride with Hal. He told them all about having a change of heart about going to Sacramento and about getting caught in the rain and falling asleep under the picnic table and being awakened by Hal.

His memory seemed pretty good as far as Adam could tell. Daniel had always been an expressive child and Adam could tell a lot about how he was feeling just by looking into his eyes.

So Adam knew the exact moment when Daniel started to realize the peril he had been in.

"The soda... it tasted funny. I remember I started feeling dizzy. Then I started feeling like I was gonna hurl and... I got really sleepy. Like I- I couldn't stay awake." Daniel stammered.

"Son, did this Hal fella say anything or do anything to threaten you after you started feeling bad?" Sheriff Hollis asked carefully. "Now, this is important, so take your time and try to remember."

"Umm. I remember- umm, I had a bad feeling. He was acting creepy... I mean, before I started feeling weird, he was creeping me out." Daniel said as he cast Adam a fearful look.

"It's okay Danny. Just tell us the truth. Take your time and try to remember everything that you can." Adam said encouragingly as he squeezed Daniel's hand in a show of support.

"He- He just- He kept touching me...nothing bad really, it just... It felt wrong and I didn't like it... and when he started rubbing my leg-" Daniel stammered, suddenly lowering his head as if in shame.

"Danny, look at me." Adam said as he reached over and put a hand underneath Daniel's chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong. Just tell us what you remember kiddo. This is real important."

Daniel stared into Adam's eyes for a couple of seconds, as though he was pulling strength from his big brother to keep going. On natural instinct, Adam nodded his head at his little brother, in essence willing him to keep going.

"I pulled away and he stopped doing it and apologized. But, then when I started feeling funny, he did it again. I knew right then that I needed to get away from him... but, but I couldn't. My legs and arms felt so heavy and... that's when he reached over and locked my door. He was holding onto me so that I couldn't try to get out of the car." Daniel explained, a painful expression now etched on his face.

"Daniel, what happened next?" the sheriff asked softly.

"That's all I remember. The next thing I know, I was here." Daniel said, pointing at the bed.

"Are you sure about that Danny? You don't remember anything else?" Adam asked softly.

Daniel nodded his head as he turned to face Adam. "I'm sure. That's all I remember."

Adam squeezed Daniel's hand again in support as he shot a knowing look at the sheriff. If that is all Daniel could remember, Adam now realized that they would have to proceed with the examination.

"If that's all you need sheriff, I'd like to have a few moments alone with my brother. We need to talk about some stuff." Adam said, hoping the sheriff would understand what his statement meant.

The sheriff nodded his head in agreement before turning back to Daniel and saying, "Daniel, I appreciate your cooperation. I'll let you have some time with Adam now. I need to go speak with your doctor."

Daniel nodded as he watched the sheriff turn to leave the room. He then looked over at Adam. "What's wrong Adam? Is everything okay?" Daniel asked innocently.

* * *

Brian saw Crane as soon as he walked through the sliding glass doors of the Sutter Amador Hospital Emergency Department. He scanned the room quickly, not seeing Adam or Daniel anywhere, Brian rushed over to Crane.

"Crane, how's he doing?" Brian blurted out breathlessly.

"He seems to be okay. Adam's with him. The uh... the sheriff questioned him already." Crane muttered, before a thought occurred to him. "How much of this do you know about, Brian?"

It had occurred to Crane that Adam hadn't really shared with him what Brian had or had not been told.

"I know they think the bastard did something to him." Brian said disgustedly. "So, did he?"

Crane looked at his older brother helplessly. He was actually glad he didn't know the answer to his question. He did not want to be the one to tell a hot headed Brian that kind of news. No jail was secure enough to save Hal from a vengeful Brian McFadden.

"I'm not sure. He seems okay to me... I mean, he seems to be more upset about what happened at school. Do you know about the exam they wanna do? Crane asked, his voice thick with dread.

"Yeah, I heard about it. What, they haven't done it already?" Brian asked.

"No. At least I don't think they have. Adam's been in there with him for a while. I guess he's gonna explain it all to him. Brian this whole thing just makes me sick." Crane said. He knew better than to light Brian's fuse, but at the same time, he needed a big brother to lean on and Adam's hands were full at the moment.

"Yeah kid, I know... I know. But it's gonna be alright. Dan'l will be alright, you hear me?" Brian said as he reached in and pulled Crane into his chest. He still couldn't believe his first little brother was now taller than him.

"Yeah, I guess. Brian, I just don't think I could handle it if-" Crane began but Brian cut off his words.

"Don't let your mind go there Crane. There's no sense borrowing trouble. I've told you that a thousand times. And we're not gonna go there until we have to go there, okay?" Brian said. He heard his words and immediately realized that they sounded too irritated. As he let go of Crane and the boy straightened up, Brian attempted an apology. "Look kid, I'm not meaning to be short with you, it's just... it's a lot... I've been home with the younguns' and they've been asking a million questions... It's just been a long one and I guess I'm startin' to lose it. I'm sorry."

"Nah Brian. Don't apologize. I showed my butt a little while ago in front of the cops. I guess we're all losin' it." Crane said while doing his best to muster up a reassurring smile for his brother.

"How's big brother handling all this?" Brian asked worriedly.

"I guess better than you and me. I mean, he's just taking it minute by minute I suppose. He's been really good with Daniel though." Crane said with a prideful grin. Thinking on it now, he really was proud of how well Adam was handling himself. He prayed silently that Daniel could see it for himself; that he could really trust their eldest brother.

"Well, that's a blessing, I suppose. One of us needs to stay in control." Brian guffawed. "I had my doubts about big brother though. That's one of the reasons I wanted to be here. I was afraid he was gonna lose it, you know?" Brian explained.

"Well," Crane said thoughtfully "it's not over yet."

* * *

"Adam? How long are we gonna sit here while you put off sayin' whatever it is you have to say?" Daniel asked. Adam looked up at the boy and his lopsided grin almost made him smile himself. "Just say whatever it is, I can take it."

"Okay Danny. You know when you told the sheriff you knew you needed to get away from Hal?" Adam began carefully.

"Yeah." Daniel replied, his voice barely audible. His eyes had once again darting downward as the boy began to uncomfortably wring his hands.

"When you say that, I'm guessing you have a pretty good idea why you needed to get away from the guy, right?" Adam kept going, wincing a little as he watched Daniel begin to fidget.

"I knew what was gonna happen to me, Adam." Daniel replied in a dull mono- toned voice.

"Well, you see. This guy has done this kind of thing before. He was in jail for it, but somehow he got out on parole a month or so back. So now, the sheriff needs to make sure he goes back to jail and stays there. So, we really need to know whether or not anything happened to you." Adam said quietly. Irrationally, he felt as if he delivered the words softly, their meaning wouldn't rattle Daniel as badly.

"What do you mean Adam? Nothing happened to me. They found me and got me out of the car." Daniel uttered in disbelief.

"We have to find out for sure, Danny. You were unconscious. The doctor- he... he needs to check you over and make sure the guy didn't-"

"He didn't do anything to me Adam! There's... there's no way. I- I'd know if anything... Nothing happened to me Adam. Please... please, just tell them I'm okay. Please? I just wanna go home, Adam... Please just take me home! Why can't we just go home?" Daniel pleaded, tears rushing down his cheeks as he choked back sobs.

The look of horror on his face was exactly what Adam had been dreading. Daniel was far from naive. He knew what Adam was trying to tell him. Now, he just had to convince the boy that this had to be done. The police needed this in order to make sure that scum bag stayed in jail this time.

"Danny, it's okay, it's okay. I'm right here with ya. I'm not gonna leave your side. Just calm down." Adam crooned as he grabbed a panicked Daniel and held him tight.

Daniel buried his head in Adam's shoulder and cried while Adam rocked him gently and brushed through Daniel's hair with his hand. "Shh, shh, It's okay." Adam whispered into Daniel's ear as they held onto each other. "Just let it all out Danny." He soothed.

Adam wasn't sure how long they had sat that way, but Daniel had finally stopped crying. He gently pulled away from Adam and rested his head back on the pillow. But he turned his head and stared at the window, refusing to face Adam. "I'm good now." He announced flatly.

"Daniel, I'm sorry I can't protect you from this, but it's just something we have to do. We have to know for sure. I guess I can't blame you for being mad at me. I'm supposed to be the one to protect you and instead, I'm letting them put you through this." Adam said sadly.

Daniel continued to stare out the window, but as he did so, he said, "It's not your fault Adam. I'm not mad at you. I'm getting what I deserve for being so stupid." Daniel said, his voice still sounding flat and emotionless.

Adam could feel himself starting to lose control. Maybe it was what Daniel said, maybe it was just how he said it, but suddenly Adam wanted to scream. He wanted... needed to be anywhere but where he was. He needed to run until he couldn't run anymore. He fought the urge with everything he had.

Besides, he knew he couldn't run. So instead, he leaned over and not for the first time today, gently pulled at Daniel's chin so as to make the boy look him in the eye.

"You're not stupid Daniel. And you don't deserve any of this. It's just something you have to do... and I can get Crane to come sit with you if you want-"

"No!" Daniel cried out suddenly. He sat up in the bed and grabbed hold of Adam again. "I want you here with me!" He blurted out desperately. "Please Adam. I want you to stay with me!" Daniel sobbed.

Adam was startled by the new outburst and more than a little surprised. In fact, he was stunned. Not only did he think Daniel was mad at him, he really didn't expect the boy to want him anywhere near him. He was sure he would rather have Crane at his side. Where was this coming from? Adam couldn't help but wonder to himself.

"Shh Danny, okay... okay. Calm down Danny. I'll stay with you if that's what you want. I'll be right here with you through all of it, I promise." Adam reassured his brother.

"You promise Adam? You'll stay here, no matter what?" Daniel asked pleadingly. "You won't leave me?"

Was this the same kid that ran away this morning because he didn't trust his eldest brother? Had the situation changed things between them this much? Adam couldn't help but think that maybe some good was coming out of this whole mess... and if so, he'd take it.

"Listen, I need to go talk with the doctor, let him know we're gonna do this. You want me to have Crane come in and sit with you? In fact, if I know Brian, he's probably here by now too. I know he'd like to see ya. Are you okay with that?" Adam asked quietly. He wanted to stay with Daniel, but he felt like the sooner they just got this whole thing over with, the better it would be for Daniel... and maybe for him too.

Daniel nodded his head and let go of Adam's hand. "I'd like to see them." He replied, his voice barely audible.

"Okay. I won't be long." Adam replied and quickly let himself out of the room.

* * *

"How's he doing?" Crane said, practically running over to Adam.

"He's a little shook up. He did well with the sheriff though." Adam relented as he stretched his body, trying to work out some of the knots in his muscles.

"I see you made it in record time." He said, looking over at a visibly shaken Brian. "So, I see your in one piece. I hope you can say the same for the jeep." Adam said with what could only be described as a halfhearted attempt at a smile.

"It's fine Adam." Brian answered irritatedly. "Did the kid remember what happened to him?"

"Well, yes and no. He remembered that the guy was being inappropriate before he lost consciousness. He for sure had no intention of letting Danny out of that car. So, we're gonna have to let the doc examine him." Adam replied somberly.

"I'll kill the bastard." Brian seethed.

"That's enough Brian. The police are gonna handle this. We just gotta keep our heads and let them do their job." Adam stated, though he sounded more like he was begging.

"Look, Daniel needs somebody with him. I'll stay with him while the doctor examines him." Crane said.

"I've got that covered. Daniel asked me to stay with him. But he wants to see the two of you now, so why don't y'all go on in there while I speak to the doctor." Adam said.

Crane didn't let any grass grow under his feet. He practically ran into Daniel's room, not bothering to wait on Brian.

"Adam, what do you think? Is Dan'l really gonna be able to handle this?" Brian asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I think he is. You know, that kids an anomaly? One minute he acts like a kid half his age and in the blink of an eye, he can show maturity beyond a normal fourteen year old. But, I think he's gonna do okay Brian. Probably better than me." Adam replied with an heir of pride. "Go... I want you to see him_ before _they put him through this." Adam said, patting Brian on the shoulder. "Remember though, no matter what, I need you to hold it together in front of him. I know you're angry about all of it, but Danny doesn't need to see it. He's shook up enough as it is."

"I'm not gonna upset him Adam. I've got it under control." Brian replied. Adam prayed he could keep it under control. He didn't have the strength to deal with a 'Brian fit' on top of everything else.

Daniel smiled when he looked up and saw Brian walk in the door. Brian was relieved to see the boy... finally. Apparently, the boy's smile was infectious. He found himself grinning back at him before he could help it.

"Hey Dan'l. God I've been so worried about you. You doin' alright, partner?" He asked as he sat himself down on the boys' bed. Crane backed up and sat down in the chair next to the bed, giving Brian room for his reunion with their little runaway.

"Yeah. I'm doin' okay. I'm sorry about all of this Bri." Daniel offered his most heartfelt apology.

"I'm not here for an apology. As long as you're okay, we're square." Brian said, reaching out to hug Daniel.

"So, I guess you know now that me and Mr. Kramer weren't gettin' along so well." Daniel admitted sheepishly.

"Yeah. But we're gonna fix all that later. I just wish you had told me. I would of helped you man." Brian scolded softly.

"I suppose I should have. I just wanted to handle it myself... But, I screwed it up royally." Daniel replied, rolling his eyes.

"You're a McFadden. Do we know any other way to screw up?" Brian laughed, reaching over an mussing his hair. "You need another haircut kid."

"Geez, why does everybody keep saying that? I like it like this. It makes me mysterious for the girls." Daniel joked.

Both Brian and Crane couldn't help but laugh at that and Daniel flashed a big grin at them.

Someone knocked at the door and Crane eased up out of the chair and opened the door to find Adam with Daniel's doctor. "I guess it's time to get this over with." Adam said and Daniel's grin immediately fell.

"Hey, don't sweat this Dan'l. It'll be over soon and then tomorrow we'll see about taking you home." Brian whispered in his ear.

"Okay." Daniel sighed.

"Look, just go to a happy place. Think of somewhere you enjoy and take yourself there. Adam's gonna be right here with ya, and it'll be over soon enough, okay?" Brian offered.

"Yeah, okay." Daniel replied. Brian gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and he and Crane quietly let themselves out of the room. Adam walked over and sat beside a now trembling Daniel and grabbed his hand, entwining the boys fingers with his own.

"Hey," he whispered softly. "You can do this kid and I'm right here with ya every step of the way."


End file.
